Sony and Columbia Pictures have released the first trailer (above) for the upcoming cutting-edge reboot of Charlie's Angels. This time, Kristen Stewart, Ella Balinska and Naomi Scott take on the roles of female spies.
One in eleven adults worldwide suffers from diabetes and the number of diabetes patients is increasing rapidly. Diabetes is one of the most widespread diseases worldwide. In the most common form of diabetes, type 2 diabetes, the body's cells become resistant to the hormone insulin, which is produced by beta cells in the pancreas and is responsible for transporting sugar in the blood.
What causes the lack of insulin production in people with these types of diabetes? Researchers from the Center for Regenerative Therapies (CRTD) at the Technical University of Dresden (TUD), together with colleagues from Imperial College London and other research institutes from Great Britain, Canada and Italy, have observed astonishing cell interactions: The beta cells apparently work together in clusters, so-called islands and their responses to rising blood sugar levels are coordinated by “leader cells.”
Mathematical analyzes demonstrated that the leader cells have a controlling role over the island. At the same time, some beta cells have a unique molecular structure that apparently allows them to become more active in metabolism and have a higher sensitivity to sugar.
Based on their findings, the scientists now want to understand what influence the leader cells have on the development of diabetes. “It is important for us to understand whether the guide cells are susceptible to damage during the development of diabetes and whether they can be targeted to maintain a strong and healthy insulin response to cure the disease,” explains Dr. Victoria Salem, senior clinical research fellow in the Department of Medical Research atImperial College London,who co-led the British study.
In order to better understand the role of the boss cells, the research team has planned new series of experiments on zebrafish. The beta cells are activated or silenced by light. These tools allow them to track exactly how many cells are controlled by a leader cell and which genes determine a leader cell's identity.
The scientists have just published their results in the journal “Nature Metabolism” and can be found on the cover of the journal. The Dresden part of the study was funded by the TUD/CRTD, the German Research Foundation, the Free State of Saxony, the German Center for Diabetes Research and the European Foundation for Diabetes Research.
