The key to a new cellular therapy for diabetes may lie in the stomach, according to the results of a new study; researchers have used stomach cells to create “mini-organs” that produce insulin when transplanted in mice.
Type 1 diabetes, where the destruction of beta cells in the pancreas halts insulin production, leading to inadequate regulation of blood glucose levels.
In an attempt to find a cure for the condition, researchers have spent years searching for ways to replace these insulin-producing beta cells.
Last October, for example, Medical News Today reported on a study in which researchers reprogrammed pancreatic duct-derived cells (HDDCs) to behave like beta cells and produce and secrete insulin.But this latest study – published in the journal Cell Stem Cell – suggests that cells from the lower section of the stomach, known as the pylorus region, show the greatest potential to be reprogrammed to act like beta cells.