30 Jun Diabetes: Switching Off A Single Gene Allows GI Cells To Produce Insulin

MedicalResearch.com: Interview with
Dr. Domenico Accili MD
Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York, New York 10032

MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study?

Dr. Accili: By switching off a single gene (foxo1), scientists at Columbia University’s Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center have converted human gastrointestinal cells into insulin-producing cells, demonstrating in principle that a drug could retrain cells inside a person’s GI tract to produce insulin.

MedicalResearch: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Dr. Accili: We were very surprised by the initial observations we made in mice two years ago, that turning off foxo1 in GI cells had this effect and “cured” diabetes.  Nobody could have predicted this result. We very optimistic that human cells, properly trained, would act similarly, but still we had to do the experiment. We were elated when we saw that we could repeat in human cells what we had seen in mice.

MedicalResearch: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?/ 

Dr. Accili: That we remain very committed to advancing this area of research as rapidly as we can, even as we hope that others will join us in this effort. We made a very public pledge two years ago, when our first study in animals was published, to accelerate the human translation of our findings, and today’s report is the culmination of those efforts. We don’t yet have a drug to test in living humans, so it’s premature to declare victory, and patients with type 1 diabetes should not change their present treatment regimens. But do continue to stay tuned.

MedicalResearch: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Accili: By showing that human cells can respond in the same way as mouse cells, we have cleared a main hurdle and can now move forward to try to make this treatment a reality. The key will be finding a drug that can inhibit FOXO1 in the gastrointestinal cells of people and we are now looking for suitable compounds.

Citation:

FOXO1 inhibition yields functional insulin-producing cells in human gut organoid cultures
Ryotaro Bouchi, Kylie S. Foo, Haiqing Hua, Kyoichiro Tsuchiya, Yoshiaki Ohmura

Nature Communications 5, doi:10.1038/ncomms5242

Last Updated on December 21, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD