A Hadassah Medical Organization research collaboration showing the potential to significantly improve diabetes management has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine.
The study, conducted by Hadassah’s Prof. Benjamin Glaser along with Dr. Dana Avrahami-Tzfati from the faculty of medicine at Hebrew University and Dr. Klaus H. Kaestner from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, found that the gene G6PC2 plays an important role in regulating glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar levels.
“Most current treatment approaches focus on increasing insulin levels or insulin action, without directly targeting glucagon,” Prof. Glaser said in a press release about the study. “Inhibition of G6PC2 is different in that it targets both hormones simultaneously, potentially enhancing the therapeutic effect.”
Dr. Avrahami-Tzfati highlighted the study’s broader implications: “Our findings show that the enzyme G6PC2 helps control glucagon release by sensing glucose levels in α cells. Therefore, this study offers a new therapeutic strategy of inhibiting G6PC2 to help control blood sugar in diabetics by simultaneously increasing insulin and reducing glucagon."
Read the full study in Science Translational Medicine.Read the Hadassah-Hebrew University of Jerusalem press release.
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