(Press-News.org) NEW YORK, NY -- A study by Columbia researchers suggests that cells in the patient's intestine could be coaxed into making insulin, circumventing the need for a stem cell transplant. Until now, stem cell transplants have been seen by many researchers as the ideal way to replace cells lost in type I diabetes and to free patients from insulin injections.
The research—conducted in mice—was published 11 March 2012 in the journal Nature Genetics.
Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The pancreas cannot replace these cells, so once they are lost, people with type I diabetes must inject themselves with insulin to control their blood glucose. Blood glucose that is too high or too low can be life threatening, and patients must monitor their glucose several times a day.
A longstanding goal of type I diabetes research is to replace lost cells with new cells that release insulin into the bloodstream as needed. Though researchers can make insulin-producing cells in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells, such cells are not yet appropriate for transplant because they do not release insulin appropriately in response to glucose levels. If these cells were introduced into a patient, insulin would be secreted when not needed, potentially causing fatal hypoglycemia.
The study, conducted by Chutima Talchai, PhD, and Domenico Accili, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, shows that certain progenitor cells in the intestine of mice have the surprising ability to make insulin-producing cells. Dr. Talchai is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Accili's lab.
The gastrointestinal progenitor cells are normally responsible for producing a wide range of cells, including cells that produce serotonin, gastric inhibitory peptide, and other hormones secreted into the GI tract and bloodstream.
Drs. Talchai and Accili found that when they turned off a gene known to play a role in cell fate decisions—Foxo1—the progenitor cells also generated insulin-producing cells. More cells were generated when Foxo1 was turned off early in development, but insulin-producing cells were also generated when the gene was turned off after the mice had reached adulthood.
"Our results show that it could be possible to regrow insulin-producing cells in the GI tracts of our pediatric and adult patients," Dr. Accili says.
"Nobody would have predicted this result," Dr. Accili adds. "Many things could have happened after we knocked out Foxo1. In the pancreas, when we knock out Foxo1, nothing happens. So why does something happen in the gut? Why don't we get a cell that produces some other hormone? We don't yet know."
Insulin-producing cells in the gut would be hazardous if they did not release insulin in response to blood glucose levels. But the researchers say that the new intestinal cells have glucose-sensing receptors and do exactly that.
The insulin made by the gut cells also was released into the bloodstream, worked as well as normal insulin, and was made in sufficient quantity to nearly normalize blood glucose levels in otherwise diabetic mice.
"All these findings make us think that coaxing a patient's gut to make insulin-producing cells would be a better way to treat diabetes than therapies based on embryonic or iPS stem cells," Dr. Accili says. The location of the cells in the gut may also prevent the diabetes from destroying the new insulin-producing cells, since the gastrointestinal tract is partly protected from attack by the immune system.
The key to turning the finding into a viable therapy, Dr. Accili says, will be to find a drug that has the same effect on the gastrointestinal progenitor cells in people as knocking out the Foxo1 gene does in mice. That should be possible, he says, since the researchers found that they could also create insulin-producing cells from progenitor cells by inhibiting Foxo1 with a chemical.
"It's important to realize that a new treatment for type I diabetes needs to be just as safe as, and more effective than, insulin," Dr. Accili says. "We can't test treatments that are risky just to remove the burden of daily injections. Insulin is not simple or perfect, but it works and it is safe."
###The research was supported by the NIH (DK58282, DK64819, DK63608), the New York Stem Cell Foundation, and the Russell Berrie Foundation.
The authors report no financial or other conflict of interest.
Upon its official opening in October 1998, the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center established a new standard of care for the 1.6 million people with diabetes in the New York area—combining world-class diabetes research and education programs with unprecedented family-oriented patient care. Named for the mother of the late Russell Berrie, founder of RUSS™ Toys, the center is today recognized as the most comprehensive diabetes research and treatment center in the tri-state region and has been designated a national "Diabetes Center of Excellence" – one of only three in the state of New York. Approximately one hundred faculty and students, affiliated with the Center, conduct basic and clinical research related to the pathogenesis and treatment of all forms of diabetes and its complications. For more information, visit www.nbdiabetes.org.
Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu.
A new approach to treating type I diabetes? Gut cells transformed into insulin factories
Study suggests a new approach could give patients the ability to make their own insulin-producing cells without a stem cell transplant
2012-03-12
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Childhood TBIs Can Cause Serious Developmental Delays
2012-03-12
Medical professionals have long thought that traumatic brain injuries do not affect young children as significantly as they do adults. Two new studies, however, suggest otherwise. Young children suffering from severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) may actually suffer continued impairment later in life than experts first thought.
The studies yielded important new information on childhood traumatic brain injuries. Children who suffered severe traumatic brain injuries, for example, had slower intellectual functioning, showing that the traumatic brain injury may have affected ...
Antidepressant shows promise as cancer treatment
2012-03-12
A retinoid called all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which is a vitamin A-derivative, is already used successfully to treat a rare sub-type of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), however this drug has not been effective for the more common types of AMLs.
Team leader Arthur Zelent, Ph.D., and colleagues at the ICR have been working to unlock the potential of retinoids to treat other patients with AML. In a paper published in Nature Medicine today, they show that the key could be an antidepressant called tranylcypromine (TCP).
"Retinoids have already transformed one rare type ...
North Atlanta Hotel Offers Special Rates for 2012 NCAA South Regional Men's Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome
2012-03-12
The newly renovated Comfort Inn & Conference Center Northeast in Atlanta, near Doraville, offers special rates to fans attending the 2012 NCAA South Regional Men's Basketball Tournament at the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta, GA. The Road to the Final Four , the NCAA South Regional (Division I) tournament will be held from March 23 - 25, 2012. Featuring the NCAA "Sweet 16 " and "Elite Eight " Rounds of the NCAA Tournament, this year's winner of the two-day event will be awarded a spot in the 2012 NCAA Final FOUR that will be held in New Orleans.
Located ...
Atlanta Perimeter Hotel Offers Special Members Only Savings to Starwood Preferred Guests
2012-03-12
Sheraton Atlanta Perimeter Hotel North, located in Sandy Springs, GA near Atlanta Perimeter Center, announces a new special savings package. Travelers can enjoy luxury for less with this exclusive offer for members of the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Book weekend stays now through March 31, 2013 and enjoy:
- Up to 35% off Best Available rates
- Continental breakfast for two
Reference rate plan SPG35B. Offer is subject to availability; some restrictions may apply.
"Conveniently situated only 15 miles north of downtown Atlanta and near many of the areas points ...
Dual solidification mechanisms of liquid ternary Fe-Cu-Sn alloy
2012-03-12
Peritectic solidification involves the nucleation and growth of the primary phase, the peritectic reaction of the primary phase with the remnant liquid phase, and the microstructural evolution of the product peritectic phase. It provides an effective approach for the synthesis or processing of various kinds of advanced materials. Professor WEI Bingbo and his group from the Department of Applied Physics, Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), in Xi'an, China, have demonstrated novel dual solidification mechanisms for a ternary Fe47.5Cu47.5Sn5 peritectic-type alloy. ...
Lawrenceville Clinic in Gwinnett County Offers Spring Allergy Treatments for Patients
2012-03-12
Rodriguez MD, a leading Lawrenceville clinic and bilingual Lawrenceville family practice near Gwinnett Medical Center, is currently offering spring allergy testing and treatments. This includes treatments for inhalant allergies, reactions to foods, hay fever, chronic sinus problems, immune disorders, eczema, and hives. Rodriguez MD offers comprehensive evaluations; then they will provide diagnosis and sustainable treatment plans. This may include giving allergy shots.
The spring season is a common time for people to experience increased reactions to allergies caused ...
Circumcision may help protect against prostate cancer
2012-03-12
A new analysis led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that circumcision before a male's first sexual intercourse may help protect against prostate cancer. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that circumcision can hinder infection and inflammation that may lead to this malignancy.
Infections are known to cause cancer, and research suggests that sexually transmitted infections may contribute to the development of prostate cancer. Also, certain sexually transmitted infections ...
More children now living with 'life-limiting' conditions
2012-03-12
The number of children with conditions such as muscular dystrophy, neurodegenerative disorders or severe cerebral palsy who are surviving into adulthood has been underestimated, a new study shows.
Research led from the University of Leeds, has shown that the number of children and young adults in England with a 'life limiting condition'* is far higher than had previously been thought and is increasing year on year. As numbers continue to rise, this will place a growing burden on paediatric palliative care providers and young adult services, particularly in deprived areas.
The ...
Home Business Opportunity From Ambit Energy Unveiled At EnergyIncome77.com
2012-03-12
Energy is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. Prior to deregulation, there was an energy monopoly which generally set the rates that consumers paid. Because of the lack of competition, it became very easy for a company to make tremendous profits at the expense of the consumer. When deregulation came into the picture, the energy industry opened its doors for competition in the marketplace - creating a win/win situation for the consumer.
Ambit Energy is a leading energy provider supplying natural gas and electricity to residents in Texas, New York, Illinois, ...
Has the Mayan Crystal Skull Mystery Been Solved?
2012-03-12
Gemstone dealer with over 20 years' experience investigates the mysterious Mayan crystal skull.
Wayne Sedawie, founder of Gemrockauctions.com, has been wholesaling and cut over a million gemstones and sold over 1000 crystal skulls and has an experienced understanding of all aspects of how a crystal skull could have been carved!
With in-depth gemstone knowledge and practical experience he has researched and investigated the crystal skull mystery and used his experience from operating Gemstone cutting factories, Opal mining operations and International gemstone wholesale ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Being physically active, even just a couple of days a week, may be key to better health
High-fat diet promote breast cancer metastasis in animal models
A router for photons
Nurses and AI collaborate to save lives, reduce hospital stays
Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model
Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection
Sensing sickness
Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas
Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses
Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.
Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis
KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision
Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response
Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid
Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia
Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients
Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years
Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations
New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients
New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans
Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production
New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination
Study examines lactation in critically ill patients
UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award
Doubling down on metasurfaces
New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders
Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana
PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation
ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy
How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease
[Press-News.org] A new approach to treating type I diabetes? Gut cells transformed into insulin factoriesStudy suggests a new approach could give patients the ability to make their own insulin-producing cells without a stem cell transplant