Gene Tweak Turns Pancreatic Cells Into Insulin Producers

Harvard-led researchers silenced ALDH3B2 in human ductal cells, raising beta-like conversion from under 1 percent to about 8.5 percent. Transplanted into diabetic mice, the cells produced human insulin and lowered glucose to near-normal for six weeks. The work, published in Science Translational Medicine, suggests reprogramming existing pancreatic cells rather than replacing them.