Inside our body, there’s a small organ called the pancreas that plays a big role in our health.
One of the most important things it does is make insulin using special cells known as beta cells. Insulin works like a key—it helps sugar from our blood enter our cells so they can use it for energy.
If our body can’t make enough insulin, sugar starts to build up in the blood, leading to diabetes.
Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine have made an exciting discovery: not all beta cells are the same. Dr. James Lo and his team found four different kinds of beta cells, and they shared their findings in a top science journal, Nature Cell Biology.
One type of beta cell, called cluster 1, turned out to be extra special. These cells produce more insulin and handle sugar better than the other kinds. Because of their strength, researchers call them the superhero beta cells. Losing these special cells could raise the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.
How did scientists make this discovery? They used a special method called single-cell transcriptomics. This technique lets researchers see exactly which genes are turned on in each cell, almost like reading each cell’s personal instruction manual.
They found that the superhero beta cells had more active genes related to making insulin and breaking down sugar. These cells also had higher amounts of a protein called CD63, which helped scientists identify them more easily.
What’s even more exciting is that humans also have these superhero beta cells. Just like in mice, people with obesity or diabetes tend to have fewer of them. In tests with diabetic mice, scientists gave the animals more of these superhero cells.
The mice were able to control their blood sugar levels much better. But when regular beta cells were used, the blood sugar did not improve as much. This shows that cluster 1 beta cells might be key to better diabetes treatment.
So, what comes next? Dr. Lo and his team want to understand why these important cells are lost in diabetes, and how to protect or even boost them. They also plan to study how today’s diabetes medicines affect the different types of beta cells. This knowledge could help us create new treatments and maybe even prevent diabetes before it starts.
This research is exciting news for people living with diabetes. It shows that the more we learn about the tiny details of how our bodies work, the closer we get to finding better ways to stay healthy. It’s a reminder that every new discovery can bring hope, relief, and a brighter future.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about Why diabetes drug metformin can help increase longevity and findings of This drug could manage type 2 diabetes for a long time.
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