New potential diabetes drug increases insulin sensitivity

A new type 2 diabetes drug could be in the pipeline as researchers show that a protein called FGF-1 increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
FGF-1, which stands for human fibroblast growth factor 1, is a protein found naturally in the body. The multi-national research team tested giving doses of the protein to mice that developed diabetes. The researchers were excited by how effective a single injection of FGF-1 was, as it normalised blood glucose levels in the mice for 2 days.
The researchers noted that the drug works by stimulating the muscles to take in glucose from the blood as well as suppressing the liver from producing glucose. FGF-1 therefore shares some similarities with an existing group of drugs called thiazolidinediones, or TZDs for short.
Whilst TZDs increase insulin sensitivity, they have side effects which include increased risk of weight gain, fatty liver disease and bone loss. Within this initial study of FGF-1, however, no such side effects were observed. Hypoglycemia did not occur either.
Whilst the drug shows significant promise in treating insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes, the research is at an early stage and more animal research will be needed before the medication can be deemed safe to test in humans.