NASA microgravity research could lead to diabetes cure

[Northerner]

When NASA asks for money for its various projects such as the International Space Station, one of the selling points was that the biomedical research that would be conducted in space would lead to cures for various diseases. A Friday story in National Review suggests that the promise may be about to be fulfilled in the form of a cure for diabetes. If so it would be boon to millions of people who suffer from the disease.

http://www.examiner.com/article/nasa-microgravity-research-could-lead-to-diabetes-cure

 

[AlisonM]

Wow! That's impressive. If it works.

 

[Vicsetter]

Where did that numpty get his facts from? Apart from the terrible description of diabetes, a patch would not be a cure for diabetes, it wouldn't help a large number of T2 diabetics where insulin production is not a problem. Where is the link between the demand for insulin and the production from the patch. Production of a steady stream of insulin is not a solution.

 

[trophywench]

If the glucose itself makes it operate, that's OK for bolusing but I don't understand how it would work for basal.

I think it would work the same for T2, you'd still need something to counteract IR if you had it, but as long as there was glucose, the islets would carry on producing until the body had enough insulin to cope and so the glucose would abate.

Then we might find out whether the islets can die from overuse in T2s or what ......