Pancreas News and Research

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The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to the small intestine. These enzymes help in the further breakdown of the carbohydrates, protein, and fat in the chyme.

UCSD engineers develop a biodegradable polymer system to treat rheumatoid arthritis

A team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a biodegradable polymer system to treat rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, by working in concert with the power of the human immune system.

4 Apr 2023

Long-term pancreatic cancer survivors’ microbiomes have increased levels of specific bacteria

Even as pancreatic cancer treatments improve, only about 9% of patients survive past five years. Researchers have searched unsuccessfully to find genetic differences that explain why some patients survive long term and some do not and have now shifted their focus to the gut microbiome.

3 Apr 2023

Red blood cell hitch-hiking facilitates SARS-CoV-2 multi-organ spread

Researchers assessed the infectious capacity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in plasma and red blood cells.

3 Apr 2023

Developing lipid nanoparticles to carry mRNA specifically to the pancreas

Therapeutics that use mRNA-;like some of the COVID-19 vaccines-;have enormous potential for the prevention and treatment of many diseases.

31 Mar 2023

Experimental anti-obesity drug may control appetite without surgery or nausea

Imagine getting the benefits of gastric bypass surgery without going under the knife -; a new class of compounds could do just that. In lab animals, these potential treatments reduce weight dramatically and lower blood glucose.

29 Mar 2023

Two distinct subtypes of insulin-producing beta cells identified

A team led by Van Andel Institute and Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics scientists has identified two distinct subtypes of insulin-producing beta cells, or ß cells, each with crucial characteristics that may be leveraged to better understand and treat Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

28 Mar 2023

Researchers receive NCI grant to advance new treatment approach for pancreatic cancer

Cosimo Commisso, Ph.D., and Susanne Heynen-Genel, Ph.D., have received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to advance a new treatment approach for pancreatic cancer.

27 Mar 2023

Complications, pathophysiology, and treatment of type 2 diabetes differ by sex

In a recent review published in the journal Diabetologia, researchers in Austria discussed the sex-based differences in the risk factors, diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches for type 2 diabetes and associated complications to improve awareness about and management options for all diabetes type 2 patients.

22 Mar 2023

Review explores trehalose's effects on metabolism and gut microflora

researchers review the bioactive properties of trehalose and its potential pharmaceutical, medical, cosmetic, and food-related applications.

20 Mar 2023

What role does dysbiosis play in Parkinson's disease?

The current study, published in the journal Revue Neurologique, is based on the hypothesis that dysbiosis, or unhealthy variations in the gut and oral microbiota, is a key component of PD pathogenesis.

19 Mar 2023

Loss of a beta cell subset might contribute to type 2 diabetes

Multiple types of beta cells produce insulin in the pancreas, helping to balance blood sugar levels. Losing a particularly productive type of beta cell may contribute to the development of diabetes, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

17 Mar 2023

Phase 2 clinical trial investigates the effectiveness of innovative procedure to control Type 2 diabetes

More than 37 million Americans have diabetes, and approximately 90-95% have Type 2 diabetes.

16 Mar 2023

Artificial pancreas technology improves blood glucose control in young children with type 1 diabetes

Artificial pancreas technology improved blood glucose control in young children between ages 2 and 5 with type 1 diabetes, according to the results of the Pediatric Artificial Pancreas (PEDAP) Trial, a 13-week randomized controlled trial conducted at three pediatric diabetes centers across the United States.

15 Mar 2023

Vitamin A-rich diet may reduce risk of developing asparaginase-associated pancreatitis in ALL patients

Consuming a diet rich in vitamin A or its analogs may help prevent children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) reduce their risk of developing painful pancreas inflammation during chemotherapy treatment.

15 Mar 2023

Embryonic stem cells used to recreate thyroid cancer histotypes

A recent Nature Communications study revealed the recapitulating capacity of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to elucidate the cellular hierarchy of the thyroid gland. Furthermore, these cells possessed the capacity to reproduce the oncogenic process using the CRISPR-based genetic editing method.

14 Mar 2023

Hypothalamic inflammation and obesity, study suggests a pathological mechanism

In a recent review published in the European Journal of Endocrinology, researchers discussed current research on the relationship between human obesity and inflammation of the hypothalamus.

14 Mar 2023

Insulin deficiency leads to reduced pancreas size in type 1 diabetes

Individuals with Type 1 diabetes have a smaller pancreas than people without diabetes. This is surprising because insulin-producing beta cells account for just a small fraction of the pancreas, so the loss of beta cells in Type 1 diabetes would not be expected to reduce pancreas size.

10 Mar 2023

A small protein could provide a revolutionary approach to tackling obesity-related diseases

Research published today shows that a peptide (small protein) called PEPITEM could provide a revolutionary approach to reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related diseases such as hepatic steatosis (fatty liver).

9 Mar 2023

COVID-19 patients at increased risk of developing gastrointestinal disorders

People who have had COVID-19 are at increased risk of developing gastrointestinal (GI) disorders within a year after infection compared with people who haven't been infected, according to an analysis of federal health data by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care system.

8 Mar 2023

Promising alternative strategy for islet transplantation in people with type 1 diabetes

In people with type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing β cells that control blood glucose levels and are part of a group of cells in the pancreas called pancreatic islets.

1 Mar 2023