New group of potential diabetes drugs with fewer side effects can reprogram insulin-resistant cells to be healthier.
Using a blend of computer modeling, structural and cell-based studies, scientists at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute have designed a group of potential diabetes drugs that reprogram insulin-resistant cells into a healthier state while limiting side effect risks of older medications. An estimated 36 million people in the United States live with type 2 diabetes, a condition that develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin, the hormone that enables cells to metabolize sugar. About a third of people with this condition also have chronic kidney disease, complicating their treatment options. In a new study, molecular biologist Patrick Griffin, Ph.D., scientific director of The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, and his graduate student, Kuang-Ting Kuo, describe their methods for developing potential insulin-sensitizing medications. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications. Working with medicinal chemist Theodore Kam...
