Pancreatic Cell News Volume 2.16 | Apr 26 2011

Subset of Self-Destructive Immune Cells May Selectively Drive Diabetes
New research identifies a distinctive population of immune cells that may play a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. [Press release from EurekAlert! discussing online prepublication in Immunity]

Self-Powered, Blood-Activated Sensor Detects Pancreatitis Quickly and Cheaply
A new low cost test for acute pancreatitis that gets results much faster than existing tests has been developed. [Press release from The University of Texas at Austin discussing online prepublication in Analytical Chemistry]

DIABETES

A Subset of Interleukin-21 Chemokine Receptor CCR9 T Helper Cells Target Accessory Organs of the Digestive System in Autoimmunity
CCR9+ T helper cells are a subset of interleukin 21-producing T helper cells that influence regional specification of autoimmune diseases that affect accessory organs of the digestive system. [Immunity]

Insulin Restores Gestational Diabetes Mellitus-Reduced Adenosine Transport Involving Differential Expression of Insulin Receptor Isoforms in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelium
Researchers aimed to determine whether insulin reverses gestational diabetes mellitus-reduced expression and activity of human equilibrative nucleoside transporters 1 in human umbilical vein endothelium cells. [Diabetes]

Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF)-Receptor Signaling Is Needed for Murine Beta Cell Mass Expansion in Response to High-Fat Diet and Pregnancy But Not After Pancreatic Duct Ligation
EGFR signaling is essential in beta cell mass expansion during a high-fat diet and pregnancy where replication is the primary mechanism for compensatory beta cell mass expansion. In contrast, EGFR signaling appears not to be crucial to increased beta cell proliferation after pancreatic duct ligation. [Diabetologia]

Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Pancreatic Endoderm in Patterned Size-Controlled Clusters
Production of functional β cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) for patients with diabetes would benefit from the growth and differentiation of these cells in size-controlled aggregates. In this study, researchers controlled cluster size by seeding hESCs onto glass cover slips patterned by the covalent microcontact-printing of laminin in circular patches of 120 μm in diameter. [Stem Cell Res]

PDX1- and NGN3-Mediated In Vitro Reprogramming of Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells into Pancreatic Endocrine Lineages
Results indicate that establishment of glucose-dependent insulin secretion in partially reprogrammed human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells may depend on additional maturation factors. [Cytotherapy]

Inhibition of ATP-Sensitive K+ Channels and L-Type Ca2+ Channels by Amiodarone Elicits Contradictory Effect on Insulin Secretion in MIN6 Cells
Effects of amiodarone on ATP-sensitive K+ channels, L-type Ca2+ channel, membrane potential, and insulin secretion were examined and compared with those of quinidine in a β cell line (MIN6). [J Pharmacol Sci]

Significance of Hydrogen Sulfide Production in the Pancreatic β Cell
Researchers found that glucose stimulation increased cystathionine γ-lyase expression at transcript and protein levels in mouse pancreatic islets. They also found that H₂S protects β cells that were chronically exposed to high glucose from apoptotic cell death. [J Pharmacol Sci]

PANCREATIC CANCER

Self-Powered Sensor for Naked-Eye Detection of Serum Trypsin
Researchers report a device for the detection of the proteolytic enzyme trypsin, which is a biomarker for pancreatitis. [Anal Chem]

Mesothelin Overexpression Promotes Autocrine IL-6/sIL-6R Trans-Signaling to Stimulate Pancreatic Cancer Cell Proliferation
Data suggest that mesothelin-activated NF-κB induces elevated IL-6 expression, which acts as a growth factor to support pancreatic cancer cell survival/proliferation through a novel auto/paracrine IL-6/soluble IL-6R trans-signaling. [Carcinogenesis]

Potential Role of NADPH Oxidase-Mediated Activation of Jak2/Stat3 and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases and Expression of TGF-β1 in the Pathophysiology of Acute Pancreatitis
Inhibition of NADPH oxidase may be beneficial for prevention and treatment of pancreatitis by suppressing Janus kinase (Jak)2/signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stat)3 and mitogen-activated protein kinases and expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in pancreatic acinar cells. [Inflamm Res]

LCT and Otsuka of Japan Share Common DIABECELL® Vision
Living Cell Technologies (LCT) Limited announced that it has entered into an agreement to raise $3 million through a placement of shares to Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, Inc. [Living Cell Technologies Limited Press Release]

$20 Million Endowment for Biomedical Engineering Research
A $20 million endowment to foster research collaboration between bioengineers and clinicians, with the ultimate goal to develop new technologies to improve patient care, has been created by Duke University and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. [Duke University Press Release]

Abbott Japan and Eisai Receive Approval to Market the Pancreatic Digestive Enzyme Replacement Drug Lipacreon® (pancrelipase) in Japan
Abbott Japan Co., Ltd. and Eisai Co., Ltd. announced that they have received approval to market the pancreatic enzyme replacement drug Lipacreon® (pancrelipase) in Japan as a pancreatic digestive enzyme replacement in patients with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. [Eisai Co., Ltd. Press Release]

DiaMedica’s Type 2 Diabetes Antibody Shown to Increase Glucose Infusion Rate by 291%
DiaMedica announced positive and important activity with DM-204, its lead monoclonal antibody. In a gold-standard animal model for testing Type 2 diabetes therapies, administration of DM-204 caused a significant increase in glucose utilization. [DiaMedica Press Release]

Growers Rally Behind Purple Flowers to Support TGen Cancer Research
A group of Ohio greenhouse growers hopes a “shock wave” of purple flowers will eventually roll across America in support of scientific research to end pancreatic cancer. [Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) Press Release]

NEW 4th Stem Cells Europe
July 20-21, 2011
Edinburgh, Scotland

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the pancreatic cell community.

Lab Technologist – Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies)

Postdoctoral Position (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Scientist (University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences)

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Diabetes/Cardiovascular Disease (Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Bioinformatics/Computational Biology – Diabetes (Lund University)

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