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Nature Metabolism volume 4, pages 1097–1108 (2022)
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Insulin is a life-saving drug for patients with type 1 diabetes; however, even today, no pharmacotherapy can prevent the loss or dysfunction of pancreatic insulin-producing β cells to stop or reverse disease progression. Thus, pancreatic β cells have been a main focus for cell-replacement and regenerative therapies as a curative treatment for diabetes. In this Review, we highlight recent advances toward the development of diabetes therapies that target β cells to enhance proliferation, redifferentiation and protection from cell death and/or enable selective killing of senescent β cells. We describe currently available therapies and their mode of action, as well as insufficiencies of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and insulin therapies. We discuss and summarize data collected over the last decades that support the notion that pharmacological targeting of β cell insulin signalling might protect and/or regenerate β cells as an improved treatment of patients with diabetes.
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Chirag Jain
Present address: Immunology Discovery, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
Ansarullah
Present address: The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, USA
These authors contributed equally: Chirag Jain, Ansarullah.
Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
Chirag Jain, Ansarullah, Sara Bilekova & Heiko Lickert
German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
Chirag Jain, Ansarullah, Sara Bilekova & Heiko Lickert
Chair of β-Cell Biology, Technische Universität München, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, München, Germany
Heiko Lickert
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C.J., A., S.B. and H.L. conceived the concepts described in this review. C.J., A., S.B. and H.L. wrote the manuscript. Figures were prepared by C.J., A. and S.B.
Correspondence to Heiko Lickert.
The authors declare no competing interest. C.J. works as a fulltime employee at Genentech Inc., CA 94080, USA, and A. works as a fulltime employee at The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA.
Nature Metabolism thanks the anonymous reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary Handling Editor: Christoph Schmitt, in collaboration with the Nature Metabolism team.
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Jain, C., Ansarullah, Bilekova, S. et al. Targeting pancreatic β cells for diabetes treatment. Nat Metab 4, 1097–1108 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00618-5
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Received: 28 January 2021
Accepted: 13 July 2022
Published: 21 September 2022
Issue Date: September 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00618-5
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