Scripps Research Institute and Dana-Farber scientists uncover novel anti-diabetes mechanism

In a joint study, scientists from the USA-based Scripps Research Institute and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University have uncovered a novel mechanism that dramatically increases insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Findings could lead to next generation of improved therapies

These findings offer a potent new target in the continuing search for new and improved anti-diabetic treatments. Currently, nearly 24 million children and adults in the USA have some form of the disease, according to the America Diabetes Association. The new study, which focuses on controlling a fat-regulating protein known as PPARy, was published July 22, 2010, in the journal Nature (Volume 466, Issue 7304).