Research Helping Us Better Understand Hyperinsulinism
Our researchers are working to understand why hyperinsulinism develops, how it affects the pancreas and how we may be able to improve diagnosis and treatment. By studying genes, pancreatic tissue and laboratory models, we are gaining new insights that could lead to more personalized approaches to care.
Learning Why the Pancreas Produces Too Much Insulin
In some children with hyperinsulinism, only a small area of the pancreas produces too much insulin. This is called focal hyperinsulinism. In others, insulin overproduction occurs throughout the pancreas, known as diffuse hyperinsulinism.
Our researchers are studying pancreatic tissue from children with both forms of the condition to better understand why these differences occur. They use advanced tools, including spatial transcriptomics, which allows researchers to study how genes are working in specific areas of tissue while preserving a map of where those cells are located.
By creating detailed maps of the pancreas, our team hopes to better understand what causes excess insulin production and identify opportunities for more personalized treatments in the future.
Searching for New Genetic Causes of Hyperinsulinism
For about half of children with congenital hyperinsulinism, genetic testing does not identify a known cause of the condition.
Our researchers are using advanced genetic methods, along with studies of pancreatic tissue, to look for additional genes that may affect how insulin-producing cells work. Finding these genetic causes could help us better understand why hyperinsulinism develops and may improve how the condition is diagnosed and treated in the future.
Using Lab-Grown Pancreas Models to Study Potential Treatments
Researchers in the Wells Lab are creating organoids, small three-dimensional models grown in the laboratory that mimic some of the features of the human pancreas.
These models allow researchers to study how insulin-producing cells behave and why they may release too much insulin. Researchers can also use organoids to study potential treatments in the laboratory before those treatments are considered for use in children.
This work may help researchers identify safer, more targeted ways to treat hyperinsulinism.
Understanding How the Pancreas Develops
Researchers in the Takebe Lab are studying how the pancreas develops, from early progenitor cells, which can grow into different types of pancreatic cells, to mature cells that produce insulin.
By studying the biological pathways that guide this development, researchers can learn what may happen when the process does not develop as expected. These discoveries are helping us understand how differences in pancreatic development may contribute to congenital hyperinsulinism and could point to new approaches to treatment in the future.
