Diabetes-Reversing Drug May Boost Insulin-Producing Cells by 700%: Study

People living with diabetes may have a new beacon of hope. A recent study published in Science Translational Medicine revealed a groundbreaking drug therapy that has shown remarkable results in diabetic mice. Scientists discovered that this new treatment boosted insulin-producing cells by 700% over three months, effectively reversing the disease in these animals.

Beta cells in the pancreas are crucial for producing insulin in response to blood sugar levels. In diabetes, these cells are often destroyed or fail to produce sufficient insulin, leading to the common necessity of regular insulin injections to manage blood sugar levels. However, scientists at Mount Sinai and City of Hope have now demonstrated a significant breakthrough in diabetes treatment.

Previous approaches primarily involved cultivating new beta cells in a lab and then transplanting them into mice or human devices. This new study, however, successfully grew insulin-producing cells directly within the body in just a few months.

The therapy combined two drugs: harmine, a natural molecule found in certain plants that inhibits an enzyme called DYRK1A found in beta cells, and a GLP1 receptor agonist, a class of diabetes drugs that includes Ozempic, known for its weight loss side effects.

The researchers tested this innovative therapy on mouse models of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Initially, they implanted a small amount of human beta cells into the mice and then treated them with harmine and GLP1 receptor agonists. Remarkably, the beta cells increased in number by 700% within three months, leading to a rapid reversal of diabetes symptoms. These positive effects persisted even a month after the treatment was stopped.

Despite the promising results, it is important to note that this was an animal study, and more research is needed before this therapy can be considered for clinical use.

Harmine alone has recently undergone a phase 1 clinical trial in humans to assess its safety and tolerability, and other DYRK1A inhibitors are scheduled for human trials next year.

A crucial next step for the research team is to combine beta-cell-regenerating drugs with immune system modulators. This approach aims to address a significant challenge: preventing the immune system from attacking newly produced beta cells.

Reference: Carolina Rosselot et al. ,Harmine and exendin-4 combination therapy safely expands human β cell mass in vivo in a mouse xenograft system.Sci. Transl. Med.16,eadg3456(2024).DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.adg3456