Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Body may cure itself of diabetes in future

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LONDON: Researchers have identified cells in the human body that can take over functions of damaged or missing insulin-producing cells, an advance that may lead to new treatments for diabetes. Diabetes is caused by damaged or non-existing insulin cells’ inability to produce insulin, a hormone that is necessary in regulating blood sugar levels.
Many diabetes patients take insulin supplements to regulate these levels, said researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway. They discovered that glucagon-producing cells in the pancreas can change identity and adapt so that they do the job for their neighbouring damaged or missing insulin cells.
“We are possibly facing the start of a totally new form of treatment for diabetes, where the body can produce its own insulin, with some start-up help,” said Luiza Ghila from the University of Bergen. The researchers discovered that only about two per cent of the neighbouring cells in the pancreas could change identity. — ONA



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