A study conducted at leading US diabetes lab, the Joslin Diabetes Center, has found that insulin receptors could have a major impact on the growth of islets, in findings that could influence the future of type 2 diabetes.
Joslin center researcher found that an important insulin receptor protein prompts cell growth amongst mice that naturally have problems using insulin properly. The researchers were led by Dr. Rohit Kulkarni, who reportedly commented: "The failure to grow more functional beta cells leads to overt diabetes. If we can identify the key signaling proteins critical for the islet cell growth response, we can develop potential therapeutic targets to enhance the growth of beta cells."
Kulkarni is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard . The results of the study are published online in this edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal .
Insulin receptors hold key to type 2 diabetes treatment
Thu, 05 Apr 2007
