University of Pittsburgh researchers may have found a way to repurpose a cancer drug to treat diabetes.
The experiment, the results of which were published May 3 in Nature Communications, used a focal adhesion kinase-inhibiting drug that is being studied in cancer treatment. Researchers found that the drug converted acinar cells into insulin-producing cells and helped regulate blood glucose in diabetic mice and a single non-human primate.
In mouse trials, investigators partially or completely wiped out the animals' beta cells with a drug that mimics diabetes. The mice were then treated with a three-week course of an oral FAK-ihibiting drug or placebo. The FAK-inhibitor mice gained about 30% of their original beta cell mass and the treatment partially improved hyperglycemia. The results remained over several weeks, suggesting the one-time treatment could have long-term benefits.
The team then used FAK-inhibitors in a non-human primate. After a three-week course of oral drugs, the animal's insulin requirements decreased by 60% and remained stable without needing additional treatment at the end of the experiment four months later.
The idea of using acinar cells to produce insulin is not new, but this drug could provide a smoother transition than current genetic approaches, according to a May 6 health system news release.
The researchers plan to conduct a long term experiment in mice to see how long the single course of drug lasts in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.