A Swedish study has found a new potential therapeutic target for diabetes. Inhibition of a protein named MNK2 regenerated pancreatic insulin-producing cells in zebrafish larvae, laboratory pigs, and human cell cultures.
“Our findings indicate a new potential target for treating diabetes, in that we demonstrate a possible way of stimulating the formation of new insulin-producing cells,” said Dr. Olov Andersson, senior researcher at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at Karolinska Institute.
The study found that inhibition, or complete removal of the MNK2 protein in zebrafish cells, resulted in the regeneration of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
Beta cells reside in the pancreas and are responsible for producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels by signaling to cells to take in blood sugar, commonly after a meal when the sugar levels become high….