Diabetes has been shown to be caused by the loss and function of Beta cells (β-cells) in pancreatic islets, which are regions of the pancreas that contain hormone-producing cells. Yang Wen-chin (楊文欽) and his team at Academia Sinica's Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center (ABRC) have discovered through experiments on mice that the protein-coding gene, Pdia4 (Protein Disulfide Isomerase Family A Member 4), is responsible for the destruction of β-cells and that inhibiting this gene can prevent and even reverse the loss of such cells.

Nutrient overload increases oxidative stress (e.g., ROS) in beta cells. Consequently, ROS causes beta-cell dysfunction and death and, in turn, type 2 diabetes (T2D). Of note, Pdia4 was first identified as a central player that controls ROS production in beta cells. Conversely, a Pdia4 inhibitor, PS-001, can preserve beta cell mass and function and, subsequently, reverse diabetes. This preservation involves novel mechanism - inhibition of Pdia4-mediated ROS production pathways.

Taiwanese scientists have discovered a key mechanism that causes diabetes and developed a new drug treatment that could "fully reverse" the disease, according to reports.