According to a new study published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, in response to increased blood sugar levels, stem cells from the human stomach can be transformed into cells that can produce and release insulin.

In the study, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City showed that they could reprogram the stem cells obtained from human stomach tissue to closely resemble the beta cells, cells present in the pancreas that secrete insulin.

The researchers showed that certain stem cells in the stomach, called gastric stem cells, were highly sensitive to activation methods. After transforming human gastric stem cells into beta-like cells, the researchers cultivated the cells in small clusters termed organoids and discovered that these organ-like patches of tissue rapidly became glucose-sensitive.

The senior author of the study, Dr. Joe Zhou, a professor of regenerative medicine and a member of the Hartman Institute for Therapeutic Organ Regeneration at Weill Cornell Medicine, explained that the stomach makes its hormone-secreting cells.

He noted that stomach cells and pancreatic cells are adjacent in the embryonic stage of development, indicating that gastric stem cells can be easily transformed into beta-like insulin-secreting cells. 

(Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/human-stomach-cells-may-secrete-insulin-to-control-blood-sugar-512062 )