(JNS) A novel approach to treating Type 2 diabetes is being developed at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. The disease, caused by insulin resistance and reduction of cells’ ability to absorb sugar, is characterized by increased blood-sugar levels. Its long-term complications include heart disease, strokes, damage to the retina that can result in blindness, kidney failure and poor blood flow in the limbs that may lead to amputations. It is currently treated by a combination of lifestyle changes, medication and insulin injections, but ultimately is associated with a 10-year reduction in life expectancy.

Led by Professor Shulamit Levenberg, a Ph.D. student Rita Beckerman from the Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory in the Technion’s Faculty of Biomedical Engineering presents a novel treatment approach, using an autograft of muscle cells engineered to take in sugar at increased rates. Mice treated in this manner displayed normal blood sugar levels for months after a single procedure. The group’s findings were recently published in Science Advances.

Currently, some 34 million Americans—a little more than one in 10—suffer from diabetes, 90 percent of them from Type 2 diabetes. An effective treatment, and one that is a one-time treatment rather than daily medication, could significantly improve both the quality of life and life expectancy of those who have diabetes. The same method could also be used to treat various enzyme deficiency disorders.

Main Photo: Mechanism of normal blood-sugar absorption (left) vs. insulin resistance in Type 2 Diabetes (right). Credit: Manu5 via Wikimedia Commons.