A team from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have spent the last 15 years searching for a cure for diabetes. New results bring them a step closer.
The study is published in Cell Reports Medicine.
The researchers “have developed a new understanding of how human beta cell regenerative drugs work,” according to a release from Mount Sinai.
Harmine, an DYRK1A inhibitor, is one of those drugs. “In 2019 and 2020, the researchers reported that DYRK1A inhibitors can synergize with TGF-beta signaling as well as GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) drugs such as semaglutide (e.g., Ozempic) and exenatide (Byetta) to induce more robust levels of human beta cell regeneration. Finally, in July 2024, they showed that harmine alone increases human beta cell mass by 300 percent, and if a GLP-1RA is added, by 700 percent.”
The investigators concluded “that the new, regenerated beta cells may be coming from an unexpected source: a second pancreatic cell type called alpha cells. Since alpha cells are abundant in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, they may be able to serve as a source for new beta cells in both common types of diabetes.”
