Scientists reprogram skin cells to cure diabetes

What if the cure for type 1 diabetes could be found through "reprogramming" skin cells into helpful, insulin-producing pancreas cells?

A team of scientists at Gladstone Institutes have developed a technique that uses regenerative medicine to replenish cells that are destroyed in individuals who have type 1 diabetes – and it could be a breakthrough in treating the condition.

Stem cells could provide long-term solutions

Type 1 diabetes develops due to the destruction of B-cells, the researchers explained in the journal Stem Cell. Although the condition can be managed with glucose monitoring and insulin injections, a long-term solution would be to replace the missing B-cells, which produce insulin. Since B-cells are limited in the human body, however, making them artificially could be the answer.

"The power of regenerative medicine is that it can potentially provide an unlimited source of functional, insulin-producing B-cells that can then be transplanted into the patient," said lead investigator Sheng Ding, Ph.D. "But previous attempts to produce large quantities of healthy B-cells – and to develop a workable delivery system – have not been entirely successful."

Researchers find success with mice

Using an animal model, the team collected skin cells from lab mice. They treated the cells with a chemical "cocktail" of molecules to reprogram them into cells that mimicked pancreas-like cells (PPLCs). The hope was that these PPLCs would mature and secrete insulin and help lower blood sugar levels in hyperglycemic mice.

"Importantly, just one week post-transplant, the animals' glucose levels started to decrease gradually approaching normal levels," the researchers wrote. "And when we removed the transplanted cells, we saw an immediate glucose spike, revealing a direct link between the transplantation of the PPLCs and reduced hyperglycemia."

After just eight weeks, the team saw the PPLCs had become fully functioning B-cells that could produce insulin.

"These results highlight the power of small molecules in cellular reprogramming, they are proof-of-principle that could one day be used as a personalized therapeutic approach in patients," said Ding.

Source: Science Daily