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A gene therapy to revolutionize diabetes care

River D'Almeida, Ph.D
The Reading Frame
Published in
3 min readDec 13, 2024

An experimental treatment aims to restore the body’s natural ability to manage blood sugar, offering hope for millions living with diabetes.

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

The table is set for a festive meal, plates piled high with roast meat, sweet potato casserole, and gravy. As the chatter winds down and the dishes stack up in the sink, something critical begins to happen in your body. In the pancreas, tiny cells called beta cells spring into action. Their job? To produce insulin, a hormone that regulates the surge of glucose flooding your bloodstream after that hearty meal. Insulin helps direct glucose to your muscles for energy or stores it for later use.

For people with diabetes, this system doesn’t work properly. The result is dangerously high blood sugar levels that, over time, can lead to severe complications like heart disease, kidney failure, or nerve damage. It’s a reality millions face daily, often relying on constant insulin injections to stay alive.

But what if there were another way? A promising approach called beta cell replacement therapy could offer a more sustainable solution. Instead of managing symptoms, this therapy aims to restore the cells that produce insulin. Yet, despite its potential, the therapy is held back by a major challenge: there simply aren’t enough high-quality islet cells — clusters of beta cells —…

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The Reading Frame
The Reading Frame

Published in The Reading Frame

The Reading Frame highlights breakthroughs at the leading edge of science, technology, and innovation.

River D'Almeida, Ph.D
River D'Almeida, Ph.D

Written by River D'Almeida, Ph.D

Follow me for bite-sized stories on the latest discoveries and innovations in biomedical research.

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