beta cells Archives
Immune cells drive beta cell loss in Type 2 diabetes
Sep. 8, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers have discovered details of pancreatic beta cell loss — and potential therapeutic targets — during conditions of overnutrition, as occurs in obesity.
Beta cell regeneration
May. 20, 2021—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.
Targeting glucagon action in diabetes
Mar. 4, 2021—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.
Study sheds light on diabetes and COVID interaction
Dec. 10, 2020—COVID-19 has been linked to cases of new-onset diabetes, diabetes-related emergencies and a higher death rate among diabetes patients.
Keeping beta cells “fit”
Jul. 9, 2020—Vanderbilt cell biologists are defining the factors that help beta cells in the pancreas stay healthy, secrete insulin and prevent diabetes initiation and progression.
Building a pancreas
Jan. 17, 2019—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.
Beta cell biomarker findings may speed diabetes research
Nov. 29, 2018—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.
Cellular calcium handling in diabetes
Sep. 28, 2017—Potassium channels in a cellular organelle regulate calcium flux and appear to play a critical role in pancreatic beta cell health.
Therapeutic targets for diabetes
May. 3, 2017—Vanderbilt investigators have identified novel regulators of insulin-producing beta-cell proliferation and survival, suggesting new targets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Making human beta cells reproduce
Dec. 8, 2016—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.
Fighting type 2 diabetes with FGF1
Nov. 18, 2015—The growth factor FGF1 induces the growth of new insulin-producing beta cells and may help treat type 2 diabetes.
New therapeutic target for diabetes
Aug. 20, 2015—The factor FoxM1 increases the proliferation and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an attractive therapeutic target for diabetes.
