Detecting Cell Loss in Diabetes

clipped from www.technologyreview.com A novel molecular tracer could help doctors track the loss of insulin-producing cells in diabetes. Such a tool would allow both doctors and drug developers to better assess the effectiveness of new treatments. Type 1 diabetes and late-stage type 2 diabetes are characterized by the loss of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Scientists estimate that people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have already lost approximately 50 to 90 percent of their insulin-producing cells by the time they begin to show symptoms. A molecular marker that labels insulin-producing cells could allow doctors to track cell loss in diabetes. This image shows a rat that has been injected with the marker. The pancreas, where the insulin-producing cells reside, is highlighted in bright blue by the marker. Because these cells are relatively rare in the pancreas, tracking them in patients has historically been difficult.

Kung now plans to test the marker in additional animal models of diabetes to show that it can track more-gradual changes in the number of insulin-producing cells, as is likely to occur in human diabetes.