Researchers from University of Montreal, Canada, have taken an important step in understanding how insulin is produced. This discovery has an important role in the development of type 2 diabetes medications.

Dr. Vincent Poitout, the leading researcher, and his team study a molecule that is essential in the stimulation and production of insulin. Specifically, they study a receptor molecule called FFA1/GPR40

What is a receptor molecule? A receptor is a protein molecule that acts as the first contact between a chemical signal in the extracellular environment and the external part of the cell. When the chemical signal binds to the receptor, a cascade of chemical reactions happen within the cell that ultimately leads to a response to the initial stimulus.

The Montreal team demonstrated that glucose present in the blood induces the production of the receptor, which in turn stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin when blood glucose and fatty acids levels rise.

There is a new generation of antidiabetic drugs that target GPR40 to promote insulin tolerance. However, little is known about how the production of GPR40 is controlled. This accomplishment places another piece in the puzzle that is diabetes and grants a better understanding of how antidiabetic medications can be developed.

Type 2 diabetes seems to have an increasing prevalence in the younger population given the increase unhealthy lifestyle. It can be controlled by correcting the course to a healthier lifestyle, but some patients may need medication throughout their entire lives. The World health Organization expects to see an increase in the prevalence of diabetes over 550 million by 2030.