Repurposing an Osteoporosis Drug for β Cell Regeneration in Diabetic Patients

Replenishing the lost or dysfunctional insulin-producing beta cell mass in diabetic patients could slow down or reverse disease progression. Kondegowda et al. (2015) now show that osteoprotegerin and denosumab, inhibitors of the receptor activator of the NF-kappa B Ligand (RANKL) pathway and osteoclast activation, stimulate human b cell proliferation and therefore possess therapeutic potential.