BRUSSELS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua)-- A team of researchers from the Free University of Brussels in Belgium, have discovered a molecule that could be capable of regenerating cells producing insulin in diabetics, the University of Brussels said in a statement on Monday.
The researchers have been in collaboration with scientists from the University of Cote d'Azur-CNRS-Inserm-iBV and researchers from Germany and Denmark, The discovery was carried out in mice and is partially validated in humans. It could be a new hope for patients with Type 1 diabetes.
This study was published recently in the scientific journal Cell which is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research papers across a broad range of disciplines within the life sciences, Belgian media reported on Monday.
The researchers demonstrated that GABA, a neurotransmitter, could induce the regeneration of insulin producing cells.
Despite current treatments, Type I diabetic patients have a life expectancy that is reduced by five to eight years. It is in this context that a lot of researchers have been working to develop new approaches designed to regenerate these cells.
The discovery of new compounds capable of restoring the mass of these lost beta cells is therefore essential.
In the article, scientists explained that they have discovered that GABA can induce the transformation of alpha cells into beta cells in human, rat and mouse cell models.
This discovery is potentially interesting for the development of new treatments for diabetes.
In Belgium, it is estimated that more than 600,000 people are diabetic.
