While Tinkering With the β-Cell… Metabolic Regulatory Mechanisms and New Therapeutic Strategies

Abstract

A common feature of the two major forms of human diabetes is the partial or complete loss of insulin secretion from β-cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. In this article, we review the development of a set of tools for studying β-cell biology and their application to understanding of fuel-mediated insulin secretion and enhancement of β-cell survival. Insights into these basic issues are likely to be useful for the design of new drug and cell-based diabetes therapies.