LOS ANGELES (Dispatches) -- Scientists are reporting about a new strategy that might one day be used to prevent or treat type 2 diabetes.
Scientists from Scripps Research Institute tested an experimental compound called IXA4 in obese mice. They showed that the compound activates a natural signaling pathway that protects the animals from harmful, obesity-driven metabolic changes that would normally lead to diabetes.
“This is the first time anyone has shown that a small molecule activating this pathway in this manner works to treat disease in a live animal,” says Scripps Research’s Luke Wiseman, PhD.
Type 2 diabetes remains a major public health problem: about 30 million people are estimated to have it in the U.S. alone. Driven largely by overweight and obesity, it features the loss of normal blood sugar regulation, and brings a multitude of health issues including higher risks of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, nerve damage, retinal degeneration, and some cancers. There are many drugs for treating type 2 diabetes, but none that works well for every patient.