Scientists at the University of California at San Diego Cancer Center and Whittier Institute have developed the first human beta cell line that responds to glucose stimulation by secreting insulin, both in the test tube and when transplanted into lab animals. This could provide a pool of cells for curing people with diabetes. These experiments used islet cells from cadaver donors.

A lab test that screens cells for a protein called GLUT1 may help distinguish between cancerous and noncancerous cells in the lining of the uterus, researchers report. Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in New York found that screening cells for a protein called GLUT1, which helps carry glucose to cells, may be a good way to identify cancer cells or cells that are likely to become cancerous.
Source: Cancer, June 15, 2000;88:2774-2781