Researchers from the United States have found a compound with which you can turn human stem cells into capable of producing insulin beta cells. This will make the treatment of diabetes of the first type more efficient and cheap. The article of scientists has been published in the Journal of Stem Cell Reports.
Stem cells can become cells of any type – depending on the environment or laboratory conditions. However, to establish what conditions are needed to form one or another type, quite difficult. Usually scientists use growth factors – groups of proteins, which stimulate the growth of a certain type. However, they are quite unstable and extreme roads in production.
Previously, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania managed to detect a new molecule-mediator – the inhibitor of glycogennetase kinase 3, stimulating stem cells by means of the WNT signal path. After that, they turned into two intermediate types of cells – mesoderm (future heart cells) and endoderm (from which beta cells can be raised). Now, researchers managed to find out that the stem cell differentiation during this process depends on the dose of the chir99021 contained in the organic compound molecule – the smaller number activates the signal path only partially, which leads to the formation of the cells of the endoderm.
Through a month of beta cells during testing glucose quite effectively produced insulin, the researchers emphasized. According to the researchers, their discovery will make the therapy of the diabetes of the first type – during which the body begins to kill beta cells – with the help of stem cells more efficiently and cheaper.