beta cells

Insulin in vials
October 20, 2022

Aging beta cells hasten Type 2 diabetes

Vanderbilt investigators have found that aging induces chronic cellular stress in pancreatic beta cells, which could contribute to the development of diabetes as we age.

By Bill Snyder
September 8, 2022

Immune cells drive beta cell loss in Type 2 diabetes

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered details of pancreatic beta cell loss — and potential therapeutic targets — during conditions of overnutrition, as occurs in obesity.

By Kelsey Pinckard
Insulin in vials
May 20, 2021

Beta cell regeneration

Vanderbilt researchers dissected the complex microenvironment of the pancreatic islet to discover the signals that drive beta cell regeneration — as a possible treatment for diabetes.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 4, 2021

Targeting glucagon action in diabetes

Disrupting the action of glucagon — a pancreatic hormone that works to raise blood glucose — restores functional insulin-producing cells in mouse models of type 1 diabetes and may be a promising treatment strategy.

By Leigh MacMillan
Katie Coate, PhD, left, Jeeyeon Cha, MD, PhD, and colleagues are working to understand the interaction of diabetes and COVID-19.
December 10, 2020

Study sheds light on diabetes and COVID interaction

COVID-19 has been linked to cases of new-onset diabetes, diabetes-related emergencies and a higher death rate among diabetes patients.

By Bill Snyder
July 9, 2020

Keeping beta cells “fit”

Vanderbilt cell biologists are defining the factors that help beta cells in the pancreas stay healthy, secrete insulin and prevent diabetes initiation and progression.

By Leigh MacMillan
January 17, 2019

Building a pancreas

Vanderbilt investigators are defining the genetic programs that control the development of pancreatic beta cells — studies that could inform new cellular or regenerative therapies for diabetes.
By Leigh MacMillan
November 29, 2018

Beta cell biomarker findings may speed diabetes research

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified a biomarker for insulin-producing beta cells. Their finding, reported this month in the journal Cell Metabolism, could lead to improved ways to study and treat diabetes.
By Bill Snyder
September 28, 2017

Cellular calcium handling in diabetes

Potassium channels in a cellular organelle regulate calcium flux and appear to play a critical role in pancreatic beta cell health.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 3, 2017

Therapeutic targets for diabetes

Vanderbilt investigators have identified novel regulators of insulin-producing beta-cell proliferation and survival, suggesting new targets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
By Leigh MacMillan
December 8, 2016

Making human beta cells reproduce

A new method developed at Vanderbilt will speed the search for potential therapeutics for diabetes: compounds that stimulate the replication of insulin-producing beta cells.
By VUMC News and Communications
November 18, 2015

Fighting type 2 diabetes with FGF1

The growth factor FGF1 induces the growth of new insulin-producing beta cells and may help treat type 2 diabetes.
By VUMC News and Communications
August 20, 2015

New therapeutic target for diabetes

The factor FoxM1 increases the proliferation and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an attractive therapeutic target for diabetes.
By Leigh MacMillan
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