Beta testing adenosine receptor agonists

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have used a zebrafish screen to identify an adenosine receptor agonist that improved both b cell regeneration and glucose control in diabetic mice.¹ The discovery could open up a new indication for a class of compounds that until now have been developed mainly for inflammatory and cardiovascular disorders.

Despite efforts to discover small molecules that trigger regeneration of insulin-secreting b cells, the compounds have eluded diabetes drug developers because in vitro screens generally cannot reflect the complex, interrelated pathways and multiple types of progenitor cells that take part in b cell development...