Pathways leading to beta cell division identified, may aid diabetes treatment

Pancreatic beta cells help maintain normal blood glucose levels by producing the hormone insulin -- the master regulator of energy (glucose). Impairment and the loss of beta cells interrupts insulin production, leading to type 1 and 2 diabetes. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have, for the first time, mapped out pathways that regulate beta cell growth that could be exploited to trick them to regenerate. Read more