Scientists Look To Molecule For Diabetes Treatment

Filed in archive Research on January 5, 2007

Solutions come in big and small packages. Sometimes very, very small. Scientists have discovered a molecule they hope will be a breakthrough in diabetes treatment:

Chinese scientists say they have identified a molecule that may hold the key to developing new pills to treat diabetes, a growing health concern affecting almost 21 million Americans.

The compound, called Boc5, helped mice reduce food intake when given orally or through needles, according to findings published online Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers say more potent doses may be used to develop a new class of pills that can treat adult-onset diabetes more easily than injectable drugs now used.