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IMAGE: At left is a healthy islet with many insulin-producing cells (green) and few glucagon-producing cells (red). At right, this situation is altered in a diabetic islet with a heavy preponderance. view more
Credit: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Blocking cell receptors for glucagon, the counter-hormone to insulin, cured mouse models of diabetes by converting glucagon-producing cells into insulin producers instead, a team led by UT Southwestern reports in a new study. The findings, published online in
PNAS, could offer a new way to treat both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in people.
More than 34 million Americans have diabetes, a disease characterized by a loss of beta cells in the pancreas. Beta cells produce insulin, a hormone necessary for cells to absorb and use glucose, a type of sugar that circulates in the blood and serves as cellular fuel.