Science Market Update

Diabetes encompasses a group of metabolic disorders that result in chronically elevated blood sugar levels. If untreated, these diseases can result in serious complications such as ketoacidosis, heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke. The most common type of diabetes is type II diabetes, which accounts for 90-95% of cases (a recent Philadelphia study helped us gain further insight into why type II diabetes occurs). The incidence of type I diabetes is much lower, accounting for just 5-10% of cases. However, while type II diabetes can resolve on its own with changes in diet and exercise habits, type I is considered incurable. Now, a new study from the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus has identified a new class of antigens that may be a factor in the development of the disease.

An estimated 30,000 people in the United States are afflicted with Huntington’s disease. Receiving a diagnosis of this genetic neurodegenerative disorder is unimaginably devastating. Sufferers slowly lose control of their movement and develop psychiatric problems over the course of 10-25 years, and often the disease is undetected until adulthood. Just this year, UC Davis researchers in Sacramento, California have discovered that human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) - cells with the ability to differentiate into bone cells, muscle cells, and other cell types - could be the key to developing an effective new therapy to treat Huntington’s. The promising findings are published in the journal Molecular Therapy.