New drug for diabetes

Beta cells in the pancreas have the important job of producing insulin in response to blood sugar levels, but a feature of diabetes is that these cells are destroyed or cannot produce enough insulin.

Illustration of new drug therapy successfully tested on mice, Photo: NEW ATLATS

The new study restores beta cell function by introducing stem cells into new beta cells, which are then transplanted into diabetic patients. The therapy combines two drugs: harmine, a natural molecule found in certain plants that inhibits an enzyme called DYRK1A in beta cells, and a GLP1 receptor agonist.

Scientists at Mount Sinai and City of Hope hospitals in New York tested the therapy in mouse models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. They first implanted small amounts of human beta cells into the mice, then treated them with harmine and a GLP1 receptor agonist. The number of beta cells increased by 700% within three months of treatment. Signs of the disease quickly reversed and remained the same even months after treatment stopped. "This study offers hope for the future use of regenerative therapies to potentially treat the hundreds of millions of people with diabetes," said study co-author Dr. Adolfo Garcia-Ocaña.

LAM DIEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/thuoc-moi-chua-tieu-duong-post751807.html