A team of scientists in South Korea have claimed to discover a new protein that could play a crucial role in controlling human blood sugar levels, according to reports from the region.
The research team were led Kim Sung-Hoo, a pharmaceutical professor based at the Seoul National University. The apparently found out that the AIMP1 protein is a major contributor to controlling blood sugar levels amongst animals.
The team examined lab mice to obtain their results, and found that the A1MP1 protein was actively enriched inside hormone-secreting alpha cells, which cause blood glucose levels to increase in humans.
The results of the teams’ achievements are published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which is the official journal of the US National Academy of Sciences.
One expert involved in the study reported: “The discovery is currently being applied to developing a new blood sugar control medicine for humans together with our U.S. partners for possible future commercialisation.”
The news was reported by the Yonhap news agency.

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