It's called an anti-Ras drug, but it's got no problem with reggae. It's a multi-talented new pill against pancreatic cancer that just might also come to the rescue of pancreatic beta cells. Its pancreatic cancer-fighting attributes are currently being tested in a human clinical trial, but a modified version has been shown to maintain normal insulin production in diabetic mice. 

The pill works by fighting a protein called the Ras protein, which is made by the Ras gene. The Ras gene, like all genes in our DNA, is basically a cellular recipe for a protein. When a mutation damages the Ras gene, it causes a misprint in the recipe for the Ras protein. The Ras protein ends up with the wrong ingredients or made in the wrong quantity, and that's a recipe for disaster. Because the Ras protein helps regulate cell growth and survival, changing its recipe can lead to the unregulated cell growth and division that we call cancer.  In fact, the Ras protein is found in about a third of all cancerous tumors. 

Another unfortunate consequence of too much Ras is a negative effect on the autoimmune system. So Professor Yoel Kloog and her students at Tel Aviv University, who developed the anti-Ras drug, wondered if a modified version could eventually be used to slow the progression of diabetes. It seems that they were right. When the anti-Ras drug blocks the Ras protein from overdoing its job or doing it in the wrong way, it helps restore the immune system to normal.  Because type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, this is good news for beta cells, which might now survive to make their all-important insulin.

Although more research is needed, the prospect of a simple pill that could effectively treat type 1 diabetes is very exciting.  In light of the fact that the anti-Ras drug is in clinical trials right now for pancreatic cancer and has already been shown to be safe, it just might be fast-tracked by the FDA for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Wouldn't it be nice if a pill finally worked?

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162013.htm

American Friends Tel Aviv University

http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10171

European Journal of Pharmacology