La Jolla Institute scientist takes quest to conquer Type 1 diabetes to the next level

La Jolla Institute scientist Matthias von Herrath, M.D., a world leader in basic research on type 1 diabetes, has long dreamed of seeing his discoveries translated into new therapies to better treat this serious and chronic disorder. Dr. von Herrath may soon get his chance as head of a new translational type 1 diabetes center to be opened in Seattle in 2012 by Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company specializing in diabetes care. Dr. von Herrath will continue to lead his vibrant and renowned research program at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology on a part-time basis.

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La Jolla Institute researchers identify pivotal immune cell in Type 1 diabetes in humans

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have proven – for the first time in human tissues — the specific immune system T cells which trigger the destruction of type 1 diabetes in the pancreas. The finding is an important advance that verifies in humans several important disease characteristics shown in mouse studies and provides a key focal point for interrupting the disease process.

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Which diabetes drug is best for diabetics with kidney disease?

Sitagliptin is safer and as effective as glipizide in patients with Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease

Highlights

• Sitagliptin is as effective as glipizide at lowering blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
• Sitagliptin is less likely than glipizide to cause dangerously low blood sugar levels.
• Patients on sitagliptin tend to lose weight, while those on glipizide gain weight.

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Researchers find molecule that prevents Type 1 diabetes in mice

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found a specific molecule that can prevent the development of type 1 diabetes in mice and has a similar effect on human cells from diabetic patients.

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Researchers make older beta cells act young again

As a person ages, the ability of their beta cells to divide and make new beta cells declines. By the time children reach the age of 10 to 12 years, the ability of their insulin-producing cells to replicate greatly diminishes. If these cells, called beta cells, are destroyed—as they are in type 1 diabetes— treatment with the hormone insulin becomes essential to regulate blood glucose levels and get energy from food. Now, longtime JDRF-funded researchers at Stanford University have identified a pathway responsible for this age-related decline, and have shown that they can tweak it to get older beta cells to act young again—and start dividing.

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Natural compound helps reverse diabetes in mice

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have restored normal blood sugar metabolism in diabetic mice using a compound the body makes naturally. The finding suggests that it may one day be possible for people to take the compound much like a daily vitamin as a way to treat or even prevent type 2 diabetes.

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Powerful antibody-based strategy suggests a new therapeutic approach to diabetes and obesity

Cold Spring Harbor, NY – The work of a team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) led by Professor Nicholas Tonks FRS, suggests a way to overcome one of the major technical obstacles preventing a leading therapeutic target for diabetes and obesity from being addressed successfully by novel drugs.

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Joslin researchers identify pathways leading to activation of good fat

BOSTON – September 20, 2011 – Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have identified for the first time two molecular pathways that are critical to activating a type of “good” fat found in the body, a discovery that could play an important role in the fight against obesity and diabetes.

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Yale researchers use uterine stem cells to treat diabetes

Controlling diabetes may someday involve mining stem cells from the lining of the uterus, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study published in the journal Molecular Therapy. The team treated diabetes in mice by converting cells from the uterine lining into insulin-producing cells.

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UC Davis researchers find disease-causing fat cells in those with metabolic syndrome

Finding supports new high-risk obesity category for diabetes, cardiovascular disease

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — UC Davis Health System researchers have discovered biological indicators that help explain why some obese people develop chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and others do not.

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