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.

Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease share common risk factors

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) appear to have a lot in common. They share risk factors such as obesity and they often occur together. If they also share the same genetic underpinings, then doctors could devise a way to treat them together too.

4 Nov 2014

Researchers identify potential therapeutic target for glioblastoma

A multicenter team of researchers has identified an enzyme key to the survival and spread of glioblastoma cancer cells that is not present in healthy brain cells, making the enzyme a promising therapeutic target.

4 Nov 2014

BRI receives JDRF grant to explore why people with type 1 diabetes continue to produce insulin

Scientists at Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason are studying a critical question in type 1 diabetes: Why do some people who get type 1 diabetes continue to produce small amounts of insulin over time while others stop? Researchers have found at the time of diagnosis with type 1 diabetes that many people continue to produce small amounts of insulin.

31 Oct 2014

Rare neuroendocrine tumours may be misdiagnosed as Cushing’s disease

Ectopic tumours secreting corticotropin-releasing hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone are very rare in children and can result in a misdiagnosis of Cushing’s disease, say researchers.

30 Oct 2014

FIT screening may be as effective as colonoscopy in detecting familial colorectal cancer

Fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) may be as effective as colonoscopies when it comes to detecting colorectal cancer among first-degree relatives of patients with colorectal cancer, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

30 Oct 2014

Simple blood test may help spot pancreatic cancer

Indiana University cancer researchers have found that a simple blood test might help diagnose pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly forms of the disease.

28 Oct 2014

Growth factor boosts natural defence against auto-immune diseases

Our immune system defends us from harmful bacteria and viruses, but, if left unchecked, the cells that destroy those invaders can turn on the body itself, causing auto-immune diseases like type-1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis. A molecule called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) boosts the body's natural defence against this 'friendly fire', scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, have found.

25 Oct 2014

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: an interview with Dr. Alexandria Phan

GEP-NETs stands for gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). This is a type of rare cancer that is increasing in incidence and prevalence – more on this later.

22 Oct 2014

Scientists create light-activated drug to help control type 2 diabetes

Scientists have created a drug for type 2 diabetes that is switched on by blue light, which they hope will improve treatment of the disease.

15 Oct 2014

New research may help identify individuals at increased risk of pancreatic cancer

New research that provides a better understanding of pancreatic cancer may help identify individuals at increased risk. The findings are published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

15 Oct 2014

BIDMC scientists uncover new class of molecules that protects against diabetes

Scientists at the Salk Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston have discovered a new class of molecules—produced in human and mouse fat—that protects against diabetes.

10 Oct 2014

Lund University researchers identify mechanisms that play vital role in development of type 2 diabetes

By studying identical twins, researchers from Lund University in Sweden have identified mechanisms that could be behind the development of type 2 diabetes. This may explain cases where one identical twin develops type 2 diabetes while the other remains healthy.

7 Oct 2014

Children who require long-term parenteral nutrition are at risk of IAFLD

Children who require long-term parenteral nutrition are at risk of a potentially devastating complication called intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IAFLD). The diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of IAFLD are discussed in a new position paper in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

5 Oct 2014

Women can now take proactive steps to reduce breast cancer risk

Now that medical professionals have identified gene mutations that predispose for breast cancer, patients can take proactive steps to reduce their risk.

3 Oct 2014

Researchers receive $4 million NIH grant to bioengineer miniature pancreas in a dish

Although type 1 diabetes can be controlled with insulin injections and lifestyle modifications, major advances in treating the disease have not been made in more than two decades and there remain fundamental gaps in what is understood about its causes and how to halt its progression.

3 Oct 2014

Taking NSAIDs with other drugs can increase risk of upper GI bleeding, study finds

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - such as ibuprofen and aspirin - increase one's risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. When taken in combination with other drugs, this risk is significantly higher, according to new research appearing in the October issue of Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

3 Oct 2014

CNIO researchers discover new specific marker for cancer stem cells

Tumours are mosaics of cells that are morphologically and molecularly very different. In this cellular heterogeneity, it is calculated that only 1-2% of the tumour mass is made up of cancer stem cells, which over the past years have been suggested to be responsible for the origin of cancer and for the resistance to conventional chemical therapies.

30 Sep 2014

XenOPAT aims to advance development of new drugs against cancer, personalized cancer treatments

On September 8th, the company XenOPAT SL, a spin-off of the Institute of Biomedical Research and the Catalan Institute of Oncology was established with the aim of bringing the company the latest scientific developments to the service combating cancer with two main branches: the development of new drugs and advance the implementation of personalized cancer treatments.

24 Sep 2014

Caltech researcher explores link between variable heart rate, health and fitness

Although the heart beats out a very familiar "lub-dub" pattern that speeds up or slows down as our activity increases or decreases, the pattern itself isn't as regular as you might think. In fact, the amount of time between heartbeats can vary even at a "constant" heart rate-and that variability, doctors have found, is a good thing.

23 Sep 2014

Researchers discover new molecular mechanism that plays crucial role in age-dependent diabetes

Ageing of insulin-secreting cells is coupled to a progressive decline in signal transduction and insulin release, according to a recent study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

18 Sep 2014

Pancreas News and Research

Further Reading

Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease share common risk factors

Researchers identify potential therapeutic target for glioblastoma

BRI receives JDRF grant to explore why people with type 1 diabetes continue to produce insulin

Rare neuroendocrine tumours may be misdiagnosed as Cushing’s disease

FIT screening may be as effective as colonoscopy in detecting familial colorectal cancer

Simple blood test may help spot pancreatic cancer

Growth factor boosts natural defence against auto-immune diseases

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: an interview with Dr. Alexandria Phan

Scientists create light-activated drug to help control type 2 diabetes

New research may help identify individuals at increased risk of pancreatic cancer

BIDMC scientists uncover new class of molecules that protects against diabetes

Lund University researchers identify mechanisms that play vital role in development of type 2 diabetes

Children who require long-term parenteral nutrition are at risk of IAFLD

Women can now take proactive steps to reduce breast cancer risk

Researchers receive $4 million NIH grant to bioengineer miniature pancreas in a dish

Taking NSAIDs with other drugs can increase risk of upper GI bleeding, study finds

CNIO researchers discover new specific marker for cancer stem cells

XenOPAT aims to advance development of new drugs against cancer, personalized cancer treatments

Caltech researcher explores link between variable heart rate, health and fitness

Researchers discover new molecular mechanism that plays crucial role in age-dependent diabetes

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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