Insulin-free life on horizon for diabetics?

• Position: Leptin - Brief article

A novel role for the brain in mediating beneficial actions of the hormone leptin in type 1 diabetes has been found by researchers, relates an article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Our findings really pave the way for understanding the mechanism by which leptin therapy improves type 1 diabetes;' says internist Robert Coppad, senior author of the study. "Understanding the mechanism is important because if we can determine how leptin drives these benefits, then we may be able to develop drugs that eliminate the need for insulin" Prior research has shown that subcutaneous administration of leptin, a hormone produced by the body's fat cells, can restore those with type 1 diabetes to full health. The underlying cellular mechanisms that caused that effect, however, have been unclear.

In the current study, the researchers found that infusing leptin into the lateral ventricle of an animals' brain reversed the lethal consequences of type 1 diabetes. The results establish the brain as a potentially critical...