Insulin News and Research

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Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert glucose, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Insulin allows cells to use glucose for fuel and is secreted by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. The release of insulin from the pancreas is stimulated by increased blood glucose, vagal nerve stimulation, and other factors. Insulin is obtained from various animals and available in a variety of preparations. Commercial insulin preparations differ in a number of ways, including differences in the animal species from which they are obtained; their purity, concentration, and solubility; and the time of onset and duration of their biologic action. An oral hypoglycemic agent is not a form of insulin therapy.

UCSF researchers create first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells

Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells, in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, the tissue can be used to foster the development of white blood cells the body needs to mount healthy immune responses and to prevent harmful autoimmune reactions.

17 May 2013

Injectable nanogel can monitor blood-sugar levels, secrete insulin when needed

Injectable nanoparticles developed at MIT may someday eliminate the need for patients with Type 1 diabetes to constantly monitor their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin.

17 May 2013

Statistics reveal that about 79 million adult Americans walk around with prediabetes

Diabetes is one of the most misunderstood medical conditions. "It's not just about sugar. It's about your heart," says Nancy Ryan, RD, BC-ADM, a registered dietitian, board-certified in advanced diabetes management at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut.

16 May 2013

Researchers see potential in deploying Akkermansia bacteria to understand and treat obesity

A dominant and useful bacterium called Akkermansia muciniphila is present in the intestinal system of all humans, from babies to the elderly. This microorganism is found in the intestinal mucus layer that protects against intruders.

16 May 2013

Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators

Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators. They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Their findings are reported in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

15 May 2013

Noninvasive imaging tests may play bigger role in diabetes management

New approaches to applying noninvasive imaging tests such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and positron emission tomography may play a bigger role in evaluating and managing patients with diabetes.

14 May 2013

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals advances Phase 2 clinical trial of LX4211 in patients with type 1 diabetes

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it is progressing into the placebo-controlled portion of its Phase 2 clinical trial of LX4211 in patients with type 1 diabetes, having successfully completed the open-label, pioneer portion of the trial.

10 May 2013

Newly engineered biomaterials could lead to possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, find researchers

Researchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans.

10 May 2013

Abbott receives CE Mark for ARCHITECT HbA1c test

Abbott today announced CE Marking (Conformité Européenne) for the ARCHITECT clinical chemistry Hemoglobin A1c test, which may aid physicians in diagnosing and monitoring diabetes as well as identifying patients at risk for developing diabetes.

9 May 2013

PCORI awards $2M to UNC med school for diabetes research

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute has approved a research award to the University of North Carolina School of Medicine to study the role of glucose monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes using oral medications.

9 May 2013

New therapeutic targets for reducing heart disease in people with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes appears to increase the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death among people with high blood sugar, partly by stimulating the production of calprotectin, a protein that sparks an inflammatory process that fuels the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.

8 May 2013

HSPH researchers discover potential target to treat type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers have discovered that a particular type of protein (hormone) found in fat cells helps regulate how glucose (blood sugar) is controlled and metabolized (used for energy) in the liver.

8 May 2013

Researchers develop new method for continuous glucose monitoring in patients with type 1 diabetes

Researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de València and the Universitat de Girona have developed a new method for continuous glucose monitoring in patients with type 1 diabetes.

8 May 2013

Researchers develop injectable nano-network to control blood-sugar levels

In a promising development for diabetes treatment, researchers have developed a network of nanoscale particles that can be injected into the body and release insulin when blood-sugar levels rise, maintaining normal blood sugar levels for more than a week in animal-based laboratory tests.

4 May 2013

Lund researchers develop new mouse model to better understand type 2 diabetes in humans

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a new mouse model that answers the question of what actually happens in the body when type 2 diabetes develops and how the body responds to drug treatment.

3 May 2013

EPAC2 and diabetes: an interview with Dr. Hussain, Johns Hopkins University

EPAC stands for exchange protein activated by cyclic AMP (cAMP). cAMP is an (among many) intracellular messenger molecule. cAMP is generated when certain hormones stimulate a cell by binding to their receptor, which is at the outside surface of the cell.

3 May 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly launch SGLT disease education initiative

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announced the launch of an educational campaign designed to provide healthcare professionals with a greater understanding of the role sodium glucose co-transporters play in maintaining blood sugar balance, or glucose homeostasis.

3 May 2013

Insulin News and Research

Further Reading

UCSF researchers create first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells

Injectable nanogel can monitor blood-sugar levels, secrete insulin when needed

Statistics reveal that about 79 million adult Americans walk around with prediabetes

Researchers see potential in deploying Akkermansia bacteria to understand and treat obesity

Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators

Noninvasive imaging tests may play bigger role in diabetes management

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals advances Phase 2 clinical trial of LX4211 in patients with type 1 diabetes

Newly engineered biomaterials could lead to possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, find researchers

Abbott receives CE Mark for ARCHITECT HbA1c test

PCORI awards $2M to UNC med school for diabetes research

New therapeutic targets for reducing heart disease in people with type 1 diabetes

HSPH researchers discover potential target to treat type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases

Researchers develop new method for continuous glucose monitoring in patients with type 1 diabetes

Researchers develop injectable nano-network to control blood-sugar levels

Lund researchers develop new mouse model to better understand type 2 diabetes in humans

EPAC2 and diabetes: an interview with Dr. Hussain, Johns Hopkins University

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly launch SGLT disease education initiative

Study results support new view of molecules important for nerve cell signaling

Lund University research opens door to diabetes treatment

Scientists discover novel drug molecule that reduces swelling, inflammation in arthritic joints

Industry Focus eBook - Forensics & toxicology (2nd edition) eBook

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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