Decades ago, peptide-based diabetes treatments led to changes in diabetes treatment because of their versatile properties. Diabetes-related peptides that are widely studied include Amylins peptide, Chromogranin A, Exendins Fragments, Insulin C-Peptides, Insulin-Like Growth Factors (IGF) and more.
Stop the "sugar tide"
Despite being seen as a simple disease, diabetes marshes. Type I diabetes occurs because an autoimmune reaction destroys beta cells - insulin-producing cells are depleted. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes (T2D) occurs because cells do not respond to insulin. Little is known about monogenic diabetes, which is a rare form of diabetes caused by a single genetic mutation. Over time, however, let-cell failure and nokufa-cell death are a common feature of all types of diabetes. Diabetic drugs can help patients control their blood sugar levels for a long time, but they cannot cure or improve the health of the pancreatic beta cells. Obesity is the leading cause of diabetes in the US, while pancreatic β-cell failure is the leading cause of diabetes in Asia. Therefore, some research groups believe that stem cells could be used to fight diabetes. Unlike most cells in the body, stem cells have the ability to regenerate and can break down into various cell types, including pancreatic beta cells. Therefore, stem cells can be used to replace dead beta cells in diabetic patients, thereby restoring insulin production and glucose control in these patients.
hiPSCs and diabetes
Stem cells can be obtained by rearranging the blood cells and fibroblasts (type of skin cell) of diabetic individuals into pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) man-made, and before these hiPSCs are divided into pancreatic beta cells again replanted back in the patient, genetic modification is performed to correct changes related to diabetes or genetic mutations. This approach may allow for almost unlimited supply of islet beta cells for cell replacement therapy. As the transplantation of the patient's cells, the chances of rejection of the transplant occur.
In addition to cell replacement therapy, hiPSCs can help clarify the basic cellular mechanisms of diabetes. For example, hiPSCs from patients diagnosed with MODY (early-onset diabetes mellitus, a type of monogenic diabetes mellitus) help to understand how genetic networks regulate pancreatic and liver growth. Both organs are essential for normal glucose metabolism.
Additionally, by using hiPSCs as a genetic testing platform, scientists can better differentiate patients into different treatment groups. At the same time, it is possible to diagnose new targeted drugs based on such experimental methods. This will bring the precise diabetes treatment closer to reality, as a single-size solution is not suitable for all patients, and should be determined based on the natural disability of each diabetic patient.
Research in the future
The use of hiPSCs in genetic testing and the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus has been practiced in many research centers around the world. On the other hand, treatments involving the replacement of pancreatic beta cells that do not function properly with hiPSC are still a long way to go before they can be approved for clinical use.
It should be borne in mind that the procedure for dividing hiPSCs into pancreatic beta cells is 100% effective, and some pluripotent residual cells may be hidden in different pancreatic beta cells. Therefore, if these pluripotent cells were also implanted with pancreatic beta cells, they could cause the teratoma, a tumor that could cause life-threatening complications.
The exact function of the pancreatic beta cells produced by hiPSCs has not been fully confirmed. Most importantly, they need to function as real beta cells of the pancreas or islands. Otherwise, individual glucose levels will not be properly regulated, leading to health risks. Also, of concern is the safety of genetic engineering technologies, such as the popular CRISPR / Cas9 program, in addressing diabetes-related genetic mutations. Unless the adverse or unintended side effects of the CRISPR-mediated genome gene may be eliminated, the potential for genetically engineered hiPSCs in cell replacement therapy may still be limited.
In short, there is a need for closer collaboration between laboratories and clinics in the fight against diabetes Scientific Articles, so that scientific research can eventually be translated into therapeutic aids for patients and the community.
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