A new treatment tested in diabetic mice has regenerated insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, which are essential for regulating blood sugar levels.
- In a person with diabetes, the beta cells in the pancreas are unable to make enough insulin, the key hormone that helps break down blood sugar, the level of glucose in the blood.
- While existing treatments involve regular insulin injections, researchers have discovered a way to restore the insulin-producing function of the pancreas in diabetic mice.
- The new treatment is a combination of two drugs: harmine, a natural molecule found in certain plants, and a GLP1 receptor agonist, a known treatment for type 2 diabetes.
In a person with diabetes, the beta cells in the pancreas are unable to make enough insulin, the key hormone that helps break down blood sugar, or glucose, in the blood. Existing treatments involve regular insulin injections or insulin-stimulating drugs to ensure that sugar levels remain at a normal level.
A team of researchers nevertheless seems to have discovered a way to restore the insulin production function of the pancreas, which could constitute a potential cure for this chronic disease which affects about 5% of the population in France. Their work was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
A 700% increase in the number of pancreatic beta cells
As part of their study, scientists from Mount Sinai and the City of Hope Institute in the United States used a combination of two drugs on diabetic mice: harmine, a natural molecule found in certain plants and already identified as a potential candidate for regulating blood sugar, and a GLP1 receptor agonist, a known treatment for type 2 diabetes.
After three months of experimentation, the number of human beta cells, initially implanted in the rodents, had increased by 700%. In short, the double treatment stimulated the regeneration of insulin-producing cells, which made it possible to reverse and cure the disease: the animals no longer had any diabetes, even one month after stopping the therapy.
New treatment soon to be tested on humans
“This is the first time that scientists have developed a drug treatment that increases the number of adult human beta cells in vivo, explains Dr. Garcia-Ocaña, lead author of the study, in a communicated. This is a boost of hope for future regenerative therapies that could benefit the hundreds of millions of people living with diabetes.”
The researchers plan to test the new treatment in humans soon, to assess potential toxicity risks and estimate the right dosage. As a therapy that addresses the underlying cause of diabetes, they are confident that it will be a true cure for the disease, or at least a means of long-term remission.