Novel tack against diabetes

By thwarting cells from making inflammatory proteins, an experimental drug protects diabetes-prone mice from developing the disease, a new study has found.

The drug, lisofylline, slows the production of the immune-system proteins interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. In people with diabetes, inflammation orchestrated by these proteins kills off beta cells, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and can leave a person dependent on insulin injections.