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A novel cellular engineering approach to diabetes mellitus

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 16, pages 477–478 (2020)Cite this article

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For type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), keeping glucose levels within the normal range of 65–150 mg/dl with administered insulin has had limited success. Now, Fussenegger and colleagues have engineered cells to release insulin in response to electrical signals, but can this advance lead to better glucose control?

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Fig. 1: Electrogenic engineering of β-cells for closed-loop insulin delivery.

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Acknowledgements

The author has been supported by grants from the NIH (R01 DK110390 and P30 DK036836 Joslin Diabetes Research Center [DRC]), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation. Valuable advice was provided by S. Bonner-Weir.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section on Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

    Gordon C. Weir

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  1. Gordon C. Weir
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Correspondence to Gordon C. Weir.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Weir, G.C. A novel cellular engineering approach to diabetes mellitus. Nat Rev Endocrinol 16, 477–478 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0389-x

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