Gene silencing makes more pancreatic cells produce insulin in laboratory study

Researchers silenced a gene in human pancreatic ductal cells and increased the share that became insulin-producing beta-like cells from fewer than 1 percent to about 8.5 percent, WIRED reported. After transplantation into diabetic mice, the modified human cells released insulin and brought the animals' glucose levels near normal for six weeks. The work suggests a way to repurpose cells already found in the pancreas. The experiments used human cells grown in a dish and transplanted into mice; the targeted gene, ALDH3B2, is also used by other cells in the body, making precise targeting a hurdle.