3D Visualisation: New Tool in Diabetes Research

The datasets presented in Scientific Data form the basis of another recently published study in Scientific Reports. In that study, the researchers used the 3D data to identify changes in the Islets of Langerhans in the obese (ob/ob) mice. This animal model is often used to study initial metabolic changes that can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes. With the help of their refined techniques, the researchers could show that these mice to a great extent develop lesions in the Islets of Langerhans, manifesting as cyst-like structures. The study shows that these lesions are caused by internal bleeding as a consequence of an increased blood flow and instability of the blood vessels.

“Obese (ob/ob) mice have been described in thousands of publications. But the large prevalence of such internal islet lesions have never before been identified and visualised,” says Ulf Ahlgren.

The researchers now want to study if similar intra-islet lesions also form in other models of type 2 diabetes and in humans, and if these may contribute to the diabetic phenotype.

The studies have been funded with support from the Swedish Research Council, the Kempe Foundations, the EU (Marie Curie ITN, “European Training Network for Excellence in Molecular Imaging in Diabetes”) and Umeå University.

(ID:44582818)