Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech

9 diabetes breakthroughs you need to know

May 26, 2017 By Danielle Kirsh

pacreas diabetes beta cells iselts

A pancreatic islet in a pig. On the right, the same section an immunofluorescence stain against insulin indicates beta cells. [Image from Wikipedia, CC by 2.5]

7. Increasing insulin-secreting pancreatic cells could cure Type 1 diabetes

Researchers at the University of Texas have cured mice of Type 1 diabetes by increasing the types of pancreatic cells that secrete insulin.

“It worked perfectly,” Bruno Doiron, co-inventor of the method and assistant professor of medicine at UT Health, said in a press release. “We cured mice for one year without any side effects. But it’s a mouse model, so caution is needed. We want to bring this to large animals that are closer to humans in physiology of the endocrine system.”

The new therapy uses a technique known as gene transferring. A virus creates a carrier that introduces selected genes into the pancreas. Those genes then cause digestive enzymes and other cell types to make insulin.

“The pancreas has many other cell types besides beta cells, and our approach is to alter these cells so that they start to secrete insulin, but only in response to glucose [sugar],” said Ralph DeFronzo, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Diabetes at UT Health and co-inventor on the therapy. “This is basically just like beta cells.”

Beta cells, which create insulin, are destroyed by the immune system in patients with Type 1 diabetes. Other cell populations in the pancreas, however, are able to co-exist with the immune system.

“If a Type 1 diabetic has been living with these cells for 30, 40 or 50 years, and all we’re getting them to do is secrete insulin, we expect there to be no adverse immune response,” said DeFronzo.

The therapy was able to successfully regulate blood sugar in mice and could offer advances in insulin therapy.

“A major problem we have in the field of Type 1 diabetes is hypoglycemia (low blood sugar),” said Doiron. “The gene transfer we propose is remarkable because the altered cells match the characteristics of beta cells. Insulin is only released in response to glucose.”

Next >>

You may also like:


  • 7 companies in the race to make an artificial pancreas
  • artificial pancreas
    UVA developing smartphone-controlled artificial pancreas

  • Researchers’ bionic pancreas outperforms standard insulin pump therapy
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Related Articles Read More >

variable-stiffness-catheter
This variable stiffness catheter could simplify cardiac procedures
magnetic-tentacle-robot
This tentacle-like magnetic robot could navigate the lungs
Ukraine medtech pharma
How medtech and pharma are responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Ukraine flag
Medtech companies extend support to Ukraine humanitarian efforts

DeviceTalks Weekly.

June 24, 2022
How innovative design, commercial strategy is building Cala Trio’s bioelectronic medicine market
See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

Enewsletter Subscriptions

Enewsletter Subscriptions

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech 100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to E-newsletter
  • Attend our Monthly Webinars
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media LLC. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech