New Approach to Treating Type 1 Diabetes

Researchers at the Columbia University Medical center  (CUMC) have recently shown that the cells in a patient's intestine can be altered to make insulin.  This procedure could circumvent the need for stem cell transplant.

In recent years, embryonic stem cell research has been performed to generate insulin producing cells that could replenish lost pancreatic beta cells. These cells produce insulin at all times, and not just in response to insulin.  This could potentially lead to hypoglycemia.

Drs. Talchai and Accili of the CUMC have shown that gastrointestinal progenitor cells of mice have the ability to generate insulin producing cells.  They studied the role of a gene Foxo1 in generation of these insulin producing cells.  Their study indicated that more insulin-producing cells were generated when Foxo1 genes were turned off early in the development of mice, and later in their adulthood.  These new insulin producing gut cells have receptors to glucose on their surface which makes them respond to glucose and secrete insulin.  Their study also revealed that this insulin could be released into the bloodstream to normalize blood glucose levels in diabetic mice.  

Since the gastrointestinal tract is protected by the immune system, a condition such as diabetes will not harm the newly generated insulin-producing cells.  

The next step is to discover a drug that would have the same effect on human gastrointestinal progenitor cells as that of knocking out the Foxo1 gene in mice.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120311150719.htm