AstraZeneca and Ionis target diabetes with antisense approach to regenerating pancreatic cells

Type 2 diabetes is caused by a progressive loss of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, and current remedies can’t do much beyond just relieving symptoms. Now AstraZeneca and Ionis are working together to investigate a new way to target beta cells with antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and they have early evidence the approach may help restore the functioning of those vital cells. ASOs are synthetic polymers designed to target RNA and modify the production of disease-causing proteins. Historically scientists have struggled to deliver ASOs to cells beyond the liver, so the AZ-Ionis team had to come up with a way to get them into the pancreas.