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.

Long-term safety of transplanted pig cells to humans confirmed

Living Cell Technologies Limited has published a paper in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology which demonstrates the long-term safety of transplanted insulin-producing pig islets in people with type 1 diabetes.

4 Nov 2004

New insight into the role of the breast cancer gene known as BRCA2

Researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cancer Cell Unit, Cambridge have gained an important new insight into the role of the breast cancer gene known as BRCA2.

29 Oct 2004

Sugary foods are making up a growing chunk of kids’ daily diets

Obesity researcher Michael I. Goran, professor of preventive medicine in the Keck School of Medicine of USC, said sugary foods are making up a growing chunk of kids’ daily diets.

26 Oct 2004

Lag-3 gene dampens immune responses by controlling regulatory T-cell function

The discovery that the Lag-3 gene acts as a brake to prevent immune system responses from running out of control solves a mystery that has puzzled researchers since the gene was discovered 14 years ago.

22 Oct 2004

Atypical antipsychotics commonly used to treat children with aggression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia may trigger insulin resistance

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center say a group of drugs known as "atypical antipsychotics" that are commonly used to treat children with aggression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia may trigger insulin resistance, a condition that increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease later in life.

21 Oct 2004

New medication to prevent colon cancer

A Stony Brook University researcher is testing a new form of aspirin--one that is much more potent than its commercially available counterpart, but with almost none of the side effects--to determine whether it can be used to prevent colon cancer in patients who are prone to the disease.

21 Oct 2004

Discovery of fundamental mechanism within cells that link obesity and type 2 diabetes

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have discovered what they believe is the fundamental mechanism within cells that links two fast-rising public health threats: obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

18 Oct 2004

Statistics reveal that there are now 1.8 million people with diabetes in the UK

New statistics revealed by Diabetes UK show that there are now 1.8 million people with diabetes in the UK – three per cent of the population, equivalent to the combined population of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester.

7 Oct 2004

$75 million over 5 years to study islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that it plans to award about $75 million over five years to five clinical centers and a data coordinating center to conduct studies of islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes.

4 Oct 2004

Researchers show gossypol – a drug refined from cottonseed oil is a cancer treatment booster

New research has opened up the prospect that gossypol – a drug refined from cottonseed oil and previously tried and abandoned as a male contraceptive – could boost the effectiveness of treatment for prostate tumours and possibly other common cancers as well.

30 Sep 2004

New methods for the growth and development of human pancreatic beta islets

Vitro Diagnostics has announced the development of new methods for the growth and development of human pancreatic beta islets (Islets of Langerhans) and the filing of a new patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

27 Sep 2004

Research findings may help stave off full-blown diabetes

A new study by researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center sheds light on the key mechanisms by which new pancreatic beta cells normally form in response to insulin resistance. These findings may some day help researchers devise ways of staving off full-blown diabetes.

18 Sep 2004

Molecule that may be a primary cause of high blood pressure and link to diabetes

A study published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identified the molecule that binds to a receptor (a molecule on the cell surface that triggers a reaction within the cell) in the brain that is known to regulate blood pressure and release of insulin.

14 Sep 2004

University of Nottingham research developments could mean new drugs will reach cancer patients more quickly

A £3 million grant and the establishment of a specialized business unit that will help new treatments reach cancer patients more quickly, have underlined The University of Nottingham’s place at the forefront of cancer drug development.

2 Sep 2004

Medicare approves University of Kentucky lung transplants

University of Kentucky Hospital Transplant Center recently received approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for payment by Medicare for lung transplants. With this approval, all solid lung transplants performed at UK are now Medicare approved.

30 Aug 2004

Phase 1 clinical trial of new anticancer drug from Human Genome Sciences

Human Genome Sciences has begun dosing patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial of HGS-TR2J, a novel agonistic human monoclonal antibody to TRAIL Receptor 2, in patients with advanced solid malignancies.

25 Aug 2004

Researchers using light to control genes and better understand the role of certain genes in embryonic development

As our understanding of biology increases, the tools of research become almost as important as the researchers wielding them. Currently, one of the major obstacles to research is actually getting inside of cells and tissue to see what is going on as it happens.

25 Aug 2004

StemCells issued U.S. stem cell patent

StemCells, Inc. has announced that the Company has been issued U.S. patent 6,777,233 for work done at the Company covering composition of matter claims for the human neural stem cell.

23 Aug 2004

Research offers hope for the millions of diabetics worldwide who take insulin injections

University of Toronto researchers have identified individual cells in the adult mouse pancreas capable of generating insulin-producing beta cells.

22 Aug 2004

Organ transplant recipients infected with West Nile virus develop more severe neurological illness

West Nile virus is an infection which in the last three years has had a significant impact in the United States. The virus is spread from birds to humans via mosquito bites. Symptoms include headache, fever and disorientation, and the disease can cause serious illness in a small percentage of infected people.

18 Aug 2004