Medical Mouse

Medical Breakthroughs: Diabetes

* Video
* Photo

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Regular Photo Size
advertisement
alt alt alt alt
ShareThis

Posted: 07/05/2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- What do Thomas Edison, Elvis Presley and Jackie Gleason all have in common? The same thing they have in common with 23.5 million Americans today… diabetes. Now, a new drug, an old drug, and some bugs are helping to ease the suffering.

By studying bugs, entomologist Bruce Hammock, Ph.D., from the University of California, Davis, created a first-of-its kind diabetic drug.

“We were asking how caterpillars turned into butterflies,” Hammock told Ivanhoe. “We found this enzyme in insects that control metamorphosis.”

The enzyme is also found in humans and controls lipids. Taken like aspirin, it can remove the joint