INSULIN-SECRETING CELLS FOR THE TREATMENT OF DIABETES

Even with intensive insulin therapy it is impossible to reach physiolo gical blood glucose levels in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Bec ause of the high costs and technical problems involved in islet cell t ransplantation broad applicability of this therapy seems uncertain. An alternative approach is the development of molecular-engineered insul in-producing clonal cell lines. The main interest is in rodent insulin oma cell lines and neuroendocrine AtT-20ins cells. This paper reviews the current knowledge about glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and t he problems that have to be solved before these cells can be used for therapy in diabetes mellitus.