Cells coaxed to produce insulin in diabetes breakthrough

A team of scientists at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute have reprogrammed normal pancreas cells into insulin-producing cells in mice. The team injected proteins into the cells to activate genes, flipping a switch on their genetic transformation. After 10 days the cells were able to help regulate blood sugar. And the scientists say the same approach could work across a range of diseases.

"We were able to flip the cell from one state into another," Doug Melton said, adding that the approach should be useful in treating disorders in "any case where there's a cell type missing and there are neighboring cells that are still healthy."

- read the report [1] from the Los Angeles Times

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