Insulin-Producing-Mini-Stomachs Grown In Lab: Possible Hope For Diabetes

Mini-stomachs grown in a lab could one day supply insulin to people with diabetes.
Loss of insulin-producing beta cells is a hallmark of diabetes.
In an attempt to find a cure for the condition, researchers have spent years searching for ways to replace these insulin-
producing beta cells.
A study - published in the journal Cell Stem Cell - suggests that cells from the lower section of the stomach, known as the pylorus region, show the greatest potential to be reprogrammed to act like beta cells.
In the experiment, reprogrammed stomach
cells pumped out insulin and glucose at normal levels in the blood.
To turn this into something that could one day be a viable therapy for people, the team took stomach stem cells from diabetic mice, engineered them with the same genes and grew mini-organs. Then, they implanted the mini-stomachs back into the mice. Five out of 22 mice maintained normal glucose levels, and, sure enough, their implants contained lots of cells that churn out insulin. That fraction might seem low, but it shows that the technique could be used as a model for therapies that replace beta cells in people, the researchers suggest.

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