Diabetic

A new study has found people with elevated blood levels of a protein called prostasin face a significantly higher risk of developing diabetes or dying from cancer. It’s unclear at this point whether the protein plays a causal role in either disease.

A study has homed in on a newly discovered mechanism that could prevent insulin resistance in type 2 diabetics. The research found disrupting the expression of a certain protein could protect beta cells and prevent patients from becoming insulin resistant.

Australian scientists have demonstrated a new way to restore insulin production in pancreatic cells, using a drug that’s already approved for use in humans. The study could mark a major breakthrough towards new treatments for diabetes.

Scientists have now identified a cellular pathway that can contribute to the death of insulin-producing cells. They found that blocking it in mice and human cells keeps the beta cells alive for longer, delaying or preventing the onset of diabetes.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have been developing artificial pancreas technology to help manage diabetes for more than a decade and have now reported "life-changing" results from trials in young children.

A peptide called MOTS-c shows promise in preventing type 1 diabetes, in new tests in human cells in culture and live mice. The peptide regulates the immune system, potentially leading to treatments for type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases.

An artificial pancreas has been trialed in patients with type 2 diabetes for the first time. The device monitors a person’s blood glucose levels and automatically administers insulin when needed – and the results so far are promising.

Scientists at Oxford have uncovered a mechanism behind why people with diabetes have an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. High blood sugar levels seem to “reprogram” stem cells so that the immune cells they produce become more inflammatory.

Researchers have found a way to maintain insulin levels in diabetic mice by growing and implanting new beta cells that produce the hormone. These cells are housed inside a tiny device that protects them from the immune system, like a shark cage.

Researchers have long detected higher rates of cognitive decline in people with type 2 diabetes and new findings indicate cardiometabolic factors associated with diabetes, such as increased blood pressure, could be contributing to the development of dementia.

For millions of patients with diabetes, daily insulin injections are a necessary nuisance. A once-a-week shot might be more palatable, and new results from phase 2 clinical trials suggest just such a drug is safe and effective.

An oral pill would be much easier for diabetics than daily insulin injections. An experimental new method for packing insulin into capsules helps it survive the trip through the stomach to the bloodstream, and releases its payload only when needed.