Strategy for diabetes treatment
With the discovery of a compound that can slow the degradation of insulin in animals, scientists at Harvard have opened the door to a potential new treatment for diabetes. The new approach, described by David Liu, professor of chemistry and chemical biology, and Alan Saghatelian, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, uses the compound to inhibit insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE). Inhibiting IDE in mice, they have shown, elevates insulin levels and promotes insulin signaling in vivo. Eventually, using this compound in patients may help maintain higher insulin levels to improve glucose tolerance and thereby treat diabetes. The discovery of the compound, and tests demonstrating its efficacy in mice, are outlined in a May 21 paper in the journal Nature. “This work validates a new potential target for the treatment of diabetes,” Liu said. “What we show is that inhibiting IDE in an animal can improve glucose tolerance under conditions that mimic the...