Diabetes is caused by either the deficiency of insulin or if body cells irresponsive to the insulin. There are three types of Diabetes and Type 1 diabetes characterized by less production of Beta cell from the pancreas.
The beta cell is the insulin-producing and storing cell found in the pancreatic islets of the pancreas. Basically, Type 1 diabetes destroyed the Beta cells in the pancreas and restricts its reproduction. Without these cells, the body loses the ability to control blood glucose.
However, there is no permanent cure for diabetes available in the market, whicvh is why researchers at the University of California have now discovered an alternative way to regenerate beta cells. Eventually, such research could lead to better treatment or cures for diabetes.
Mark Huising, an assistant professor at the same universitym is involved in this research. He published a detailed paper in the journal Cell Metabolism. However, they are studying the process of controlling the blood glucose by a beta cell.
In this study, they analyzed the cell islets from human and mice tissues. According to this, they find the islets contain beta cells, which produce insulin after detecting glucose.
Besides this, they also detect alpha cells that produce glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar. However, both this opposite effects of insulin and glucagon maintain the glucose level in blood and store nutrients.
After a comprehensive study, the researcher describes that Type 1 diabetes has two processes to prevent insulin production. Initially, produced Beta cells are destroyed by the immune system of the body. Then the body is unable to reproduce the beta cells.
In this context, Huising added that the new beta cells are generated by other beta cells by splitting it. According to UCDAVIS, researchers find another type of cell using a new technique in microscopy. Interestingly the cell closely replicates an immature beta cell.
However, these cells can make insulin but it doesn’t have the receptors. Receptors are used for detection and that means the cell can’t detect the presence of glucose. Hopefully, Huising’s team was able to observe alpha cells in the islet turn into immature beta cells. Subsequently, these immature cells will turn into the mature cell and then real beta cells.
However, scientists are working on further studies to use these mature beta cells in stem cell therapy for diabetes. A stem cell has the potential to develop into wide ranges of another cell. In addition, they are also trying to understanding the cells in the islets which could help for type II diabetes
