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.

External stimuli control hormonal regulation of our eating behavior

Max Planck researchers have proven something scientifically for the first time that laypeople have always known: the mere sight of delicious food stimulates the appetite. A study on healthy young men has documented that the amount of the neurosecretory protein hormone ghrelin in the blood increases as a result of visual stimulation through images of food.

20 Jan 2012

FDA issues complete response letter to Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca's dapagliflozin

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and AstraZeneca today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for investigational compound dapagliflozin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults.

19 Jan 2012

The AJMS publishes updates on type 2 diabetes, STIs

Research is leading to new insights on two major public health challenges: preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and improving disease control for patients with type 2 diabetes. Expert updates on these critical topics appear in a special symposium section of the January issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences (The AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.

19 Jan 2012

Hormone that burns energy discovered

Boston scientists have found a hormone that is secreted by muscles during exercise and boosts the amount of energy the body burns. This hormone – irisin – could be the first step in development of new drugs for obesity, diabetes, and other diseases feel researchers. A Boston startup company, Ember Therapeutics, has already licensed the technology and is working to develop a form of the hormone that could be used as a drug that would mimic some of the benefits of exercise.

16 Jan 2012

Smart injectable nanotherapeutics could improve treatment for Type I diabetes

A research collaboration between the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Children's Hospital Boston has developed "smart" injectable nanotherapeutics that can be programmed to selectively deliver drugs to the cells of the pancreas. Although this nanotechnology will need significant additional testing and development before being ready for clinical use, it could potentially improve treatment for Type I diabetes by increasing therapeutic efficacy and reducing side effects.

13 Jan 2012

Scientists discover specific immune system T cells that trigger destruction of type 1 diabetes

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have proven - for the first time in human tissues -- the specific immune system T cells which trigger the destruction of type 1 diabetes in the pancreas. The finding is an important advance that verifies in humans several important disease characteristics shown in mouse studies and provides a key focal point for interrupting the disease process.

13 Jan 2012

TAMEST honors UT Southwestern scientist with Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award

Dr. Philipp Scherer, director of the Touchstone Center for Diabetes Research at UT Southwestern Medical Center, was recognized today as a rising star in Texas research by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas.

13 Jan 2012

Nature journal publishes Ember's brown fat biology data

Ember Therapeutics, Inc., a company harnessing breakthroughs in brown fat biology and insulin sensitization to revolutionize the treatment of metabolic disease, today announced the publication of key data supporting its lead brown fat biology program in the journal Nature.

12 Jan 2012

FDA clears Roche's Accu-Chek Nano SmartView blood glucose monitoring system

Roche announced today that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Accu-Chek Nano SmartView blood glucose monitoring system.

12 Jan 2012

Oramed files provisional patent application with USPTO for combination diabetes therapy

Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a developer of oral drug delivery systems, announced today that it has filed a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a combination therapy of its lead compound, ORMD-0801 in combination with its oral exenatide formulation, ORMD-0901. There is no such approved combination product available on the market today.

11 Jan 2012

UCSF, Sanofi enter $3.1 million collaboration to identify diabetes drug targets

The University of California, San Francisco has signed an alliance with international pharmaceutical company Sanofi to share expertise in diabetes research and identify drug targets that could lead to new therapies for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

11 Jan 2012

Natural options against weight gain, sugar cravings, and insulin resistance

The holidays have come and gone, but many of us may still be battling intense sweet cravings leftover from the season's festivities. Excessive sugar cravings can be a sign that your blood glucose levels are out of balance which, if left unchecked, can lead to insulin resistance and Metabolic Syndrome, also known as "Pre-Diabetes."

11 Jan 2012

Experts recommend vitamin D supplementation for menopausal women

A group of experts has prepared a report on vitamin D supplementation for menopausal women after it was revealed that Europeans have suffered an alarming decrease in their levels of this vitamin. In their opinion, the ideal would be to maintain blood levels above 30 ng/ml. Vitamin D is essential to the immune system and processes such as calcium absorption.

11 Jan 2012

Study examines impact of maternal obesity on inflammatory responses

A number of different immunological mechanisms ensure the successful establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Imbalance in these mechanisms is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

11 Jan 2012

Insulin induces formation of new elastin in cultures of human aortic smooth muscle cells

New research reveals that insulin applied in therapeutic doses selectively stimulates the formation of new elastic fibers in cultures of human aortic smooth muscle cells.

10 Jan 2012

Amylin outlines key strategic priorities for 2012

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today outlined its key strategic priorities for 2012, with a strong focus on driving the global commercial value of its diabetes franchise.

10 Jan 2012

Perrigo signs definitive agreement to acquire assets of CanAm Care

Perrigo Company today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of CanAm Care, a privately-held, Alpharetta, Georgia-based distributor of diabetes care products for approximately $36 million in cash.

9 Jan 2012

Trail of research that led to discovery of aspirin's role in prevention of first heart attack

Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., DrPH, the first Sir Richard Doll Research Professor as well as first recipient of an endowed chair in the new Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, has published a Citation Classic in the current issue of Clinical Chemistry. Hennekens was the founding principal investigator (PI) of the landmark Physician's Health Study and was the first to demonstrate that aspirin prevents a first heart attack.

7 Jan 2012

Linagliptin does not offer added benefit for adults with type 2 diabetes

Linagliptin has been approved since August 2011 to improve blood glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus whose elevated blood glucose levels are inadequately controlled by diet and exercise.

7 Jan 2012

New guideline on management of hyperglycemia in non-critically ill hospitalized patients

Hyperglycemia, or having high glucose levels in the blood, is a common, serious and costly health care problem in hospitalized patients. Today, The Endocrine Society released a clinical practice guideline (CPG) providing recommendations for practical and safe glycemic targets and describing protocols and system improvements required to achieve glycemic goals for hospitalized patients in a non-critical care setting.

6 Jan 2012