Repurposed cancer drug to help replace insulin therapy for diabetes [Video]

A drug used for the treatment of pancreatic cancer can be repurposed to replace insulin therapy among people with diabetes, scientists have found.

Without enough insulin, diabetics could be at risk for hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar that can damage blood vessels and organs as well as cause heart attacks, stroke, and other serious complications.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, suggested that focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitors, known to reduce tumour burden in pancreatic cancer, could be a new avenue as a replacement for insulin therapy in diabetic patients.

In an experiment in mice that started in 2016, the team from the University of Pittsburgh deleted one of two copies of the gene encoding an enzyme called focal adhesion kinase (FAK).

Both the pancreas as well as a cluster of cells in the organ looked weird. While the pancreas looked “like it was trying to regenerate after an injury”, the cells …