Scientists at the University Hospital in Zurich have found that high levels of glucose appear to directly upregulate the cell death receptor Fas on human pancreatic beta-cells. The finding may explain the loss of beta-cell mass seen in type 2 diabetes. The researchers documented the presence of Fas receptor in islets of type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients, suggesting that a similar mechanism of beta-cell apoptosis underlies both diseases.
Source: Diabetes September 2001;50:1683-1690.

GPC Biotech AG has received 2 US patents covering geranylgeranyl transferase type 1 (GGTase) as an anti-fungal drug target. The patents cover anti-fungal drug discovery assays and the commercial development of new therapeutics for fungal diseases, based on a mechanism of action distinctly different from conventional therapies.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, working with bioengineered mice say they have identified a gene that increases the risk of developing lupus, a crippling and sometimes fatal inflammatory disease. The researchers have found that mutations on the Ifi202 gene are specifically associated with lupus, and that other subtle gene abnormalities are believed to be involved in the complex disorder. Researchers have been searching for a lupus gene for several years. Lupus appears to share many similarities with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
Source: Immunity, September 2001.