Major hurdle cleared to diabetes transplants
Researchers have identified a way to trigger reproduction in the
laboratory of clusters of human cells that make insulin, potentially
removing a significant obstacle to transplanting the cells as a treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes. Pictured in blue are the cells and in green, the insulin.
Brain-building gene plays key role in gut repair
A gene with a colorful name – mindbomb 1 – plays a key role far beyond the brain. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that mindbomb 1 may
be involved in repairing cells injured by infection or inflammation in
the stomach and pancreas. Researchers also found hints that mindbomb 1 may have connections to cancer in those organs.
Gene may increase risk for type 2 diabetes
Two international research teams — one led by M. Alan Permutt, M.D., professor of medicine and of cell biology and physiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis — have found variations in a gene that may predispose people to type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. The two research teams, which collaborated extensively, will report their findings in companion articles in the April issue of Diabetes.