Betatrophin triggers the growth of pancreatic beta cells (in mice)

[Pro-Humanist FREELOVER]

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April 25, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/25/hormone-diabetes-treatment/2112673/
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Excerpts [with inserts, not part of original
article, included in brackets]:

... betatrophin can produce a roughly seventeenfold
increase in these cells [pancreatic beta cells, the
cells which produce insulin], and its increase may
partly explain the rapid growth of these cells seen
during pregnancy to feed developing fetuses in
mammals, including people.

"This is really an amazing discovery. Hormones with
this kind of effect aren't discovered very often, and
this opens a whole new pathway to treating ... [High
Glucose Conditions].

... the hormone's effects, which the study team sees
as isolated to beta cells, need to be thoroughly inves-
tigated in animal studies for safety. ...

... "Of course, we are a long way from a treatment.
But if this could be used in people, what I think it
could mean eventually is that instead of taking insulin
injections [multiple times per day] ... you might take
an injection of this hormone once a week or once a
month," says study senior author Doug Melton of the
Harvard Stem Cell Institute, in a commentary pro-
vided by the university.

Melton is best known as a prominent human stem
cell researcher, whose own children suffer from
... [Insulinitis (old name: type 1 diabetes, formerly
called juvenile diabetes)]; he has previously done
pioneering research on how beta cells grow during
development.

In the study, the team reports that young mice given
the hormone grew just enough new beta cells to
counteract the drug's effects, no more.

"Before it can be established if this finding has any
relevance to human therapy it will need to be estab-
lished (that) the molecule drives beta cell replication
in humans," ... a variety of compounds have earlier
been identified that drive beta cell growth in young
mice but these have then not had the same effect
on beta cells in people.

The study researchers acknowledge they don't know
exactly how the hormone spurs the growth of beta
cells, whether directly or by triggering a cascade of
activity that leads to more of them. The researchers
have entered into agreement with two pharmaceu-
tical firms, Evatec and Jansen, to investigate treat-
ments with the hormone. The study was largely
funded by research money from the 2009 federal
stimulus, Melton says.

...

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Pro-Humanist FREELOVER
C.ure I.nsulinitis A.ssociation
http://prohuman.net/cureinsulinitisassociation.htm
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[Robert Miles]

On 4/25/2013 9:05 PM, Pro-Humanist FREELOVER wrote:
>
> - - -
> April 25, 2013
> http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/25/hormone-diabetes-treatment/2112673/
> - - -
>
> Excerpts [with inserts, not part of original
> article, included in brackets]:
>
> ... betatrophin can produce a roughly seventeenfold
> increase in these cells [pancreatic beta cells, the
> cells which produce insulin], and its increase may
> partly explain the rapid growth of these cells seen
> during pregnancy to feed developing fetuses in
> mammals, including people.

Note that the insulin production path in mice is
different enough from the path in humans that we
need at least some successful tests in humans
before we start placing much hope on betatrophin.

[Pro-Humanist FREELOVER]

On Thursday, April 25, 2013 9:59:03 PM UTC-5, Robert Miles wrote:

> On 4/25/2013 9:05 PM, Pro-Humanist FREELOVER wrote:

> >
> > - - -
> > April 25, 2013
> > http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/25/hormone-diabetes-treatment/2112673/
> > - - -
> >
> > Excerpts [with inserts, not part of original
> > article, included in brackets]:
> >
> > ... betatrophin can produce a roughly seventeenfold
> > increase in these cells [pancreatic beta cells, the
> > cells which produce insulin], and its increase may
> > partly explain the rapid growth of these cells seen
> > during pregnancy to feed developing fetuses in
> > mammals, including people.
> >

> > [...]

> Note that the insulin production path in mice is
> different enough from the path in humans that we
> need at least some successful tests in humans
> before we start placing much hope on betatrophin.

Well, hope, something most humans are
naturalistically memetically genetically
inclined to have, whether it's justifiable
or not.

Certainly, based on what I've read about
this, it's more likely to be helpful in those
who have a significant number of healthy
beta cells remaining (that is, in those who
have Cellosis, old name: type 2 diabetes,
or Diminosis, old name: Mature Onset Dia-
betes of the Young) than it is in those whose
beta cells are totally or near-totally destroyed
(that is, in those who have Insulinitis, old
name: type 1 diabetes).

However, of note, even in most of us who
have Insulinitis, this development may be
able to act in concert with other ways of
restoring beta cells, if a solution to the auto-
immune attack which kills beta cells (in the
overwhelming majority of those who have
Insulinitis) is found. And also, early on in
Insulinitis, especially Latent Autoimmune
Insulinitis, enough beta cells remain to
perhaps be increased via this potential
medication.

The disclaimer, of course, is that this is
something in mice, and as we all well
know, curing mice (although, technically,
this has not been tested in mice which
have deficient insulin production, only
in mice with normal insulin production)
is, for reasons unknown, much easier
than is translating mice "cures" to be
actualized in humans.

One article mentioned a 17-fold increase
in beta cells, another mentioned a 30-
fold increase in beta cells.

[Colt T]

Shouldn't this be very easy to test in humans? It's not even a drug if
it's already found in the body. Of course the FDA doesn't want us to be
healthy.

[Pro-Humanist FREELOVER]

On Friday, April 26, 2013 11:55:30 AM UTC-5,

Don't know why, but in the following article
it's claimed that "... producing enough beta-
trophin for testing in human clinical trials will
take about two years ..."

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April 27, 2013
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=liver-hormone-offers-hope-for-diabetes-treatment
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Excerpt:

...

"the identification of a factor, betatrophin, that
stimulates mouse β-cell replication with remark-
able efficiency is a very important discovery,
because it provides the starting point for further
studies to elucidate the underlying mechanism
of β-cell replication."

β-cell replication has proved difficult to control
in humans.

Producing enough betatrophin for testing in
human clinical trials will take about two years,
according to Melton, who is also working to
identify the hormone’s receptor and its mech-
anism of action.

...

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