Tiny hairlike structures on pancreatic cells have long been considered static sensors. Now, researchers say they move and help regulate insulin secretion.
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Jun 16, 2022 | 5 min read
Results from a small sample of Indian males suggest that lean individuals with a history of malnutrition suffer from a distinct type of diabetes characterized by a defect in insulin secretion.
Researchers have collected hundreds of COVID-19–related diabetes case reports since August of last year, in hopes of teasing apart the complex links between the two diseases.
Lactation boosts the quantity and quality of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, likely reducing a woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The original work found that an anti-malaria drug or the neurotransmitter GABA could increase the number of insulin-producing pancreatic cells in mice.
Researchers used a trio of transcription factors to transform pancreatic duct cells in vivo into β-like cells that secrete insulin and improve diabetes symptoms.
The results, which could not be replicated, suggested that a hormone increased pancreatic β cell proliferation, supplanting insulin as a front-line diabetes treatment in mice.
