Insulin is produced by islet cells in the pancreas, but scientists have been able to persuade adult liver cells to do the same thing and increase insulin production.

It is hoped the work will one day allow the use of a diabetes patient's own liver cells to treat their condition

Scientists believe that insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes, might stem from the habits of a child's grandmother.

Animal studies suggest that children may be at increased risk of diabetes if their grandmother maintained a poor diet while pregnant and breast feeding

A new diabetes treatment will be based on saliva from a Gila monster, AP reports. The drug, named Byetta, manufactured by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly & Co., has just cleared FDA testing. Reports say it will hit the market June 1.

According to the makers, "Byetta is a synthetic version of a protein found in the saliva of the Gila monster that works similarly to the human GLP-1

The Food and Drug Administration annouced its approval of a new drug derived from the saliva of a poisonous lizard called the Gila monster.

Byetta, chemically called exenatide, is the newest option for Type 2 diabetics. The drug is the first of its kind, requires injections twice a day, and presently must be taken along with older diabetes treaments

Stanford, California (AHN)- US Scientists have been able to coax the immature brain cells to develop into the insulin-producing islet cells that are lacking in diabetes. The work is not yet ready to be tested on human patients, but there have been promising results in animals. Scientists have already been looking at using stem cells taken from embryos to treat diabetes. Dr. Seung Kim and colleagues looked at whether adult stem cells taken from the brain might work. Dr. Kim's team found that when they added a cocktail of chemicals to brain stem cells, the cells changed and, although they were not identical to islet cells, they were able to produce insulin in response to blood sugar levels. Scientists have already been looking at using stem cells taken from embryos to treat diabetes. Some patients have already received transplants using islet cells taken from living relatives or dead donors. However, the stem cell route would mean the patient themselves could potentially be their own donor. Dr. Angela Wilson, director of research at Diabetes UK said, "We'll certainly be following the progress of this research with interest