Identifying the 'dimmer switch' of diabetes
Monday, September 21, 2015 - 20:00
in Health & Medicine
In a landmark study, researchers examined pancreatic islet cells from 99 human organ donors and identified a new molecular pathway that manages the amount of insulin produced by the pancreatic cells -- essentially a 'dimmer' switch that adjusts how much or how little insulin is secreted when blood sugar increases. According to the researchers, the dimmer appears to be lost in type 2 diabetes but can be restored and 'turned back on.'