A team of researchers at the Salk Institute in California discovered the main ingredient they were looking for to generate insulin-producing cells that could lead to the cure of diabetes type 1 and other diseases.
The team led by Eiji Yoshihara, a Salk Institute researcher, found a protein called ERR-gamma which is able to turn energy in the body on producing beta cells. The beta cells are formed by artificial embryonic stem cells.
The pluripotent stem cells, are cells typically generated from the skin and could lead medicine to new ways of treating diseases using cell replacement therapy.
The study published in the journal Cell Metabolism is taking scientists closer to the cure of type 1 diabetes and could lead to more studies on growing replacement beta cells for other diseases such as HIV.
Diabetes disease
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases that causes high blood sugar levels in extensive periods of time.
Patients who suffer from diabetes and don’t take the correct medication for the disease could develop cardiovascular diseases and could face strokes, chronic kidney failures and damage to the eyes.
The disease is caused because the pancreas of the patients doesn’t produce enough insulin in some cases or the cells of the body don’t react properly to the insulin produced by the body.
Diabetes disease has many types that include:
- Diabetes Type 1 (The pancreas does not produce enough insulin, doesn’t have a cure)
- Diabetes Type 2 ( The body develops resistance to the insulin)
- Gestational Diabetes ( Develops on pregnant women with previous history of high sugar levels)
This is one of the most common diseases in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association as of 2012 1.25 million children and adults suffered from Diabetes type 1 while 29.1 million suffer from diabetes type 2.
Diabetes type 2 can be reversed in some patients, managing a healthy lifestyle that included dieting, exercise and weight loss. Studies have assured that burning more calories than the amount consume could lead restore insulin levels.
Source: CELL