New Treatments Are Emerging For Type-1 Diabetes
Mint Mumbai|February 22, 2024
"WHERE ARE the islets of Langerhans?" is a trick question that pops up from time to time in quizzes. The answer is to be found not in atlases of geography, but rather in those of anatomy, for the so-called islets are in fact clusters of cells scattered through the pancreas. There they synthesise and release a range of hormones, including insulin, which regulates glucose levels and thus metabolism.
New Treatments Are Emerging For Type-1 Diabetes

The islets' insulin producers are called beta cells. (Cell types alpha, gamma, delta and epsilon perform other tasks.) They are the only bodily sources of that hormone. So, if their number declines, trouble looms. And decline it does, in the condition known as type-1 diabetes. This happens when, in a phenomenon called autoimmunity, the body's own immune system attacks its complement of beta cells, wiping out as many as 80%.

Without an alternative supply of insulin, someone with type-1 diabetes will die. (In type-2 diabetes, insulin continues to be produced but the body's cells acquire resistance.) Supplementary insulin can be administered by injection or via a device called an insulin pump. But a better way might be to replace the missing beta cells and somehow protect them from immune attack.

A few lucky patients do indeed have their beta cells replaced by transplantation from human donors. And Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a firm in Boston, is testing beta cells grown from stem cells for the same purpose. But neither approach includes immune protection. This means both require the administration of drugs to immunosuppressive prevent the rejection that follows any transplant, let alone one where autoimmunity is at play. One of the sessions at this year's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Denver therefore looked into how transplanted beta cells might be made hypoimmunogenic - in other words, invisible to a patient's immune system.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MINT MUMBAIView all
India's economic performance is pretty robust on most counts
Mint Mumbai

India's economic performance is pretty robust on most counts

The economy's back on its high-growth path and fiscal consolidation is on track but our labour market remains a concern

time-read
3 mins  |
October 31, 2024
Mint Mumbai

We should be more receptive to paradigm-shifting ideas

Do we really have free will? Our brains are not wired to accept radical thoughts easily but we must try

time-read
3 mins  |
October 31, 2024
We need to invest in nature for the sake of humanity's future
Mint Mumbai

We need to invest in nature for the sake of humanity's future

Money must flow into what saves rather than harms biodiversity

time-read
3 mins  |
October 31, 2024
Is gold worth its weight amid our demat assets?
Mint Mumbai

Is gold worth its weight amid our demat assets?

It has been a buzzy buy in recent times, with its price soaring over the past year. Investors, however, are likely to be better served by going for intangible forms of this precious metal

time-read
2 mins  |
October 31, 2024
Mint Mumbai

The country needs to map its informal economy better

We need more accurate data on enterprises that play a major role in employing people

time-read
3 mins  |
October 31, 2024
Mint Mumbai

Some states have started to slip off their fiscal correction paths

Populist outlays and capital expenditure have widened their budget deficits. They must tighten up

time-read
3 mins  |
October 31, 2024
How a businessman in his 50s went gung-ho on MFs
Mint Mumbai

How a businessman in his 50s went gung-ho on MFs

From telecom retail to mutual fund: SIPs have bridged Singh's post-covid business slowdown

time-read
4 mins  |
October 31, 2024
Principal disabled? Know your PoA rights
Mint Mumbai

Principal disabled? Know your PoA rights

My father has been in coma following an accident. He had granted me a power of attorney (PoA) to manage his money, but the PoA has no specified duration. Is it legally valid for me to withdraw funds or conduct other transactions on his behalf for his medical treatment? -Name withheld on request

time-read
1 min  |
October 31, 2024
HOW SALMA HAYEK IS REDEFIMNG PHILANTHROPY
Mint Mumbai

HOW SALMA HAYEK IS REDEFIMNG PHILANTHROPY

In the worlds of Hollywood, fashion and activism, there's never been anyone quite like Salma.

time-read
9 mins  |
October 31, 2024
WORLD SAVINGS DAY: A REALITY CHECK ON INDIA'S DWINDLING HOUSEHOLD SAVINGS CRISIS
Mint Mumbai

WORLD SAVINGS DAY: A REALITY CHECK ON INDIA'S DWINDLING HOUSEHOLD SAVINGS CRISIS

High inflation and easy credit lead to financial instability due to overspending and rising debt

time-read
3 mins  |
October 31, 2024