Changing liver cell identity provides new directions for diabetes treatment February 15, 2017 Source: Bio Valley According to a recent study by German scientists, it has become possible to reprogram liver cells to become pancreatic progenitor cells by altering the activity of a gene. Researchers at the Supreme Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) have achieved this change in cell fate in mice, and their results are expected to help achieve cell therapy for people with diabetes. For people with type 1 diabetes, their immune system destroys their islet cells, causing them to fail to synthesize insulin. They need to maintain their blood sugar at a relatively normal level through lifetime insulin injections. Dr. Francesca, a researcher at MDC, has been working on how to reprogram liver cells into pancreatic cells. They have successfully achieved this goal in a recent new study. Successful in animal experiments A gene called TGIF2 plays a key role in the above process. TGIF2 is very active in pancreatic tissue but not in the liver. In this study, the researchers overexpressed the TGIF2 gene in mouse liver cells and subsequently observed the phenomenon. They found that liver cells first lost the characteristics of liver cells and subsequently acquired the characteristics of pancreatic cells. The researchers transplanted the engineered cells into a diabetic mouse model, and the blood glucose levels in the mice quickly improved, indicating that the transplanted cells did function as islet cells. This study has taken a step further in the application of cell therapy to treat diabetes. The next step is to transform mouse-based research into humans. The laboratory is currently working on the same strategy for human liver cells. “There are some differences between mice and humans, and we need to overcome this. Our research provides a new way to treat diabetes in the future,†Dr. Francesca said. Raw Material For Surgical Drape And Gown Non Woven,Non Woven Fabric,Non Woven Material,Non Woven Fabric Roll ShaoXing SurgeCare Medical Products Co., Ltd. , https://www.sxsurgecaremedical.com