In a mouse model, scientists have discovered that alpha-cells in the pancreas, which do not produce insulin, can convert into insulin-producing beta-cells, advancing the prospect of regenerating beta-cells as a cure for type 1 diabetes. The research team, led by senior author Dr. Pedro L. Herrera of the University of Geneva, demonstrated that beta-cells will spontaneously regenerate after near-total beta-cell destruction in mice and the majority of the regenerated beta-cells are derived from alpha-cells that had been reprogrammed, or converted, into beta-cells. Using a unique model of diabetes in mice, in which nearly all of the beta-cells are rapidly destroyed, the researchers found that if the mice were maintained on insulin therapy, beta-cells were slowly and spontaneously restored, eventually eliminating the need for insulin replacement. Alpha-cells normally reside alongside beta-cells in the pancreas and secrete a hormone called glucagon, which works in opposition to insulin to regulate the levels of sugar in the blood. Alpha-cells are not attacked by the autoimmune processes that destroy beta-cells and cause type 1 diabetes. Dr. Andrew Rakeman, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Program Manager in Beta-Cell Therapies and who was not involved in the research, said that the breakthrough in Dr. Herrera's work is the demonstration that alpha-to-beta-cell reprogramming can be a natural, spontaneous process. "If we can understand the signals that are triggering this conversion, it will open a whole new potential strategy for regenerating beta-cells in people with type 1 diabetes," he said. "It appears that the body can restore beta-cell function either through reprogramming alpha-cells to become beta-cells or, as previously shown by others, by increasing growth of existing beta cells.Login Or Register To Read Full Story