Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Gene, Kv1.7, Vectors and Host Cells Comprising the Same, and Recombinant Methods Of…
It has long been believed that the secretion of insulin from pancreatic beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans is induced by the presence of glucose at the outer surface of the beta cell membrane. This secretion is regulated through a series of processes at the surface of the cell which allow the insulin in the cell to flow through the membrane. Central to such processes are certain types of ion channels which control the permeability of the cell membrane. Scientists at the University of California, Irvine, have isolated a specific ion channel gene whch controls membrane permeability, and have cloned it and determined its sequence and location in the human genome. Moreover, it has also been discovered that elevated expression of a gene of identical nucleotide sequence is present in the beta cells of diabetic mice. Consequently, it is believed that this gene may provide a useful target for new drugs which could treat diabetes through the stimulation of insulin secretionType of Offer: Licensing
« More Medical Patents