Scientists estimate that patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes have already lost 50 to 90 percent of their insulin-producing cells by the time their conditions are diagnosed. A new molecular tracer could provide the first clear view of these cells in the pancreas, helping doctors detect and treat diabetes far earlier.
The tracer was developed by Hank Kung, a scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. It binds to a receptor inside the cells and is tagged with a radioactive label that can be detected using positron emission tomography (PET).
Preliminary tests show that PET scans using the tracer can distinguish between rats with healthy levels of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas (glowing areas in the image at left) and rats whose insulin-producing cells have been chemically damaged.
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