Protein for the treatment of type 2 diabetes validated

Researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have discovered that deficiency of the protein, Mitofusin 2, in muscle and hepatic cells of mice is sufficient to cause tissues to become insensitive to insulin, thus producing an increase in blood glucose concentrations. These are the two most common conditions prior to development of type 2 diabetes. Published in this week's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study validates Mitofusin 2 as a possible target for the treatment of diabetes type 2. "Resistance to insulin plays a key role in the development of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia (alteration of lipid concentrations) and obesity. Mitofusin 2 may provide a specific target for the development of drugs that could hold back a disease that affects millions of people worldwide", explains the head of the study, Antonio Zorzano.