New ways of treating type 1 diabetes.

• Position: Liver - Brief article

A hormone pathway that potentially could lead to new ways of treating type 1 diabetes independent of insulin, long thought to be the sole regulator of carbohydrates in the liver, has been unveiled in a study published in Science. Another hormone, fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19), has insulin-like characteristics beyond its role in bile acid synthesis. Unlike insulin, however, FGF19 does not cause excess glucose to turn to fat, suggesting that Hs activation could lead to new treatments for diabetes or obesity.

"The fundamental discovery is that there is a pathway that exists that is required for the body, after a meal, to store glucose in the liver and drive protein synthesis. That pathway is independent of insulin," relates pharmacologist David Mangelsdorf, co-senior author of the study.

Naturally elevating this...