Silencing the G-protein coupled receptor 3-salt inducible kinase 2 pathway promotes human β cell proliferation

The Application of High-Throughput Approaches in Identifying Novel Therapeutic Targets and Agents to Treat Diabetes

During the past decades, unprecedented progress in technologies has revolutionized traditional research methodologies. Among these, advances in high-throughput drug screening approaches have permitted the rapid identification of potential therapeutic agents from drug libraries that contain thousands or millions of molecules. Moreover, high-throughput-based therapeutic target discovery strategies can comprehensively interrogate relationships between biomolecules (e.g., gene, RNA, and protein) and diseases and significantly increase the authors' knowledge of disease mechanisms. Diabetes is a chronic disease primarily characterized by the incapacity of the body to maintain normoglycemia. The prevalence of diabetes in modern society has become a severe public health issue that threatens the well-being of millions of patients. Although a number of pharmacological treatments are available, there is no permanent cure for diabetes, and discovering novel therapeutic targets and agents continues to be an urgent need. The present review discusses the technical details of high-throughput screening approaches in drug discovery, followed by introducing the applications of such approaches to diabetes research. This review aims to provide an example of the applicability of high-throughput technologies in facilitating different aspects of disease research.

Therapeutic Strategies Targeting Pancreatic Islet β-Cell Proliferation, Regeneration, and Replacement

Diabetes results from insufficient insulin production by pancreatic islet β-cells or a loss of β-cells themselves. Restoration of regulated insulin production is a predominant goal of translational diabetes research. Here, we provide a brief overview of recent advances in the fields of β-cell proliferation, regeneration, and replacement. The discovery of therapeutic targets and associated small molecules has been enabled by improved understanding of β-cell development and cell cycle regulation, as well as advanced high-throughput screening methodologies. Important findings in β-cell transdifferentiation, neogenesis, and stem cell differentiation have nucleated multiple promising therapeutic strategies. In particular, clinical trials are underway using in vitro-generated β-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells. Significant challenges remain for each of these strategies, but continued support for efforts in these research areas will be critical for the generation of distinct diabetes therapies.

Emerging diabetes therapies: Bringing back the β-cells

BACKGROUND

Stem cell therapies are finally coming of age as a viable alternative to pancreatic islet transplantation for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes. Several clinical trials using human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived β-like cells are currently underway, with encouraging preliminary results. Remaining challenges notwithstanding, these strategies are widely expected to reduce our reliance on human isolated islets for transplantation procedures, making cell therapies available to millions of diabetic patients. At the same time, advances in our understanding of pancreatic cell plasticity and the molecular mechanisms behind β-cell replication and regeneration have spawned a multitude of translational efforts aimed at inducing β-cell replenishment in situ through pharmacological means, thus circumventing the need for transplantation.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

We discuss here the current state of the art in hESC transplantation, as well as the parallel quest to discover agents capable of either preserving the residual mass of β-cells or inducing their proliferation, transdifferentiation or differentiation from progenitor cells.

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS

Stem cell-based replacement therapies in the mold of islet transplantation are already around the corner, but a permanent cure for type 1 diabetes will likely require the endogenous regeneration of β-cells aided by interventions to restore the immune balance. The promise of current research avenues and a strong pipeline of clinical trials designed to tackle these challenges bode well for the realization of this goal.

G protein-coupled receptors as regulators of pancreatic islet functionality

Glucose homeostasis is maintained by hormones secreted from different types of pancreatic islets and its dysregulation can result in diseases including diabetes mellitus. The secretion of hormones from pancreatic islets is highly complex and tightly controlled by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Moreover, GPCR signaling may play a role in enhancing islet cell replication and proliferation. Thus, targeting GPCRs offers a promising strategy for regulating the functionality of pancreatic islets. Here, available RNAseq datasets from human and mouse islets were used to identify the GPCR expression profile and the impact of GPCR signaling for normal islet functionality is discussed.