I talked about stem cell-based therapy yesterday. In parallel, we are seeking a way to increase the proliferation of remaining insulin-producing cells (i.e., pancreatic beta cells) and eye cells.
Is it possible? Growing evidence indicates that adult human beta cells can proliferate under certain conditions. The challenge is that adult human beta cells have very low proliferation rates. So we need to find a way to "increase" the proliferative potential of adult human beta cells. Interestingly, significant levels of proliferation occur during pregnancy.
We are considering leveraging our potential to increase the proliferation of our beta cells and neuronal cells. One of our candidate molecules is MANF. MANF is produced in our brain cells. The following article shows that MANF can increase the proliferation of "rodent" beta cells. Our next step is to develop a way to activate MANF and increase the proliferation of human beta cells and eye cells.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24726366
Thank you for reading this blog. I hope you will have a wonderful Sunday! I am sending kind thoughts toward you.
