Researchers at Mount Sinai have made a significant advancement in diabetes treatment by discovering that harmine, a drug from the harmine family, can regenerate human beta cells by converting alpha cells in the pancreas. This finding addresses the challenge faced by over 500 million people globally with diabetes, as traditional treatments have struggled to provide scalable solutions. Published in Cell Reports Medicine, the research indicates that harmine may activate alpha cells, which are abundant in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, to become new beta cells. This mechanism could offer a large reservoir of potential beta cells waiting to be activated by harmine-like drugs. The journey to this discovery began 15 years ago with the identification of harmine as a DYRK1A inhibitor, and subsequent studies showed it could greatly increase beta cell mass, especially when combined with GLP-1 receptor agonists. The collaborative efforts of Mount Sinai’s interdisciplinary team, led by Dr. Andrew F. Stewart and supported by extensive funding, are now preparing for human trials. This research represents a promising step toward effective and affordable diabetes treatments, potentially changing the lives of millions.
