Cell Conversion Research
September 18, 2009 by
Filed under Diabetes News, Type 1
Doesn’t it seem as if the research into diabetes is more exciting every day? This latest news is from AJC, and says:
European scientists have identified a transcription factor that plays a key role in the conversion of pancreas cells into insulin-producing beta cells, and the finding could lead to a new treatment for type 1 diabetes.
In tests on mice, the researchers found that when a gene called Pax4 is turned on in pancreatic cells, the cells change their identity to become beta cells. The body senses the loss of alpha cells and replaces them with new ones, which are also converted into beta cells.
Research that shows pancreatic beta cell regeneration? That’s great news. Obviously, more research is needed, but this study shows that science is definitely making progress in the fight for a cure. Could we find it in our lifetime?
