Key diabetes discovery excites NZ team

Auckland researchers have unlocked the secrets to a key enzyme that could lead to relief for hundreds of thousands of diabetes sufferers.

A research team at Auckland University's Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery has mapped the exact atomic structure of myo-inositol oxygenase (MIOX), which affects how the body breaks down the sugar compound inositol.

Studies have shown high levels of MIOX to be a common trait among diabetics, leading to low levels of inositol and an increase of glucose in the blood.

"Now we know the exact structure of this protein MIOX, and we can see how you would design a drug to block it, like fitting a key to a lock," said Professor Ted Baker, director at the centre.

"We know its shape, where its active part is. We basically have a template for the design of a drug."

The team is now working with Industrial Research in Lower Hutt to develop such a drug.

If successful, they believe the drug will act to restore glucose levels to normal and give relief to the 200,000 New Zealanders who suffer from diabetes symptoms.

"By blocking MIOX, inositol levels can return to normal and we can overcome some of the consequences of diabetes, maybe all of them - but we don't know that," Professor Baker said.

He was optimistic a new drug treatment would become a reality, but "you never really know in this type of area.

"Sometimes things can go very quickly and sometimes drugs simply don't make it at all. We're looking at two to three years to develop a compound that can then be tested properly."

The findings, published yesterday in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show the first successful attempt to combat diabetes by targeting MIOX.

"What we're excited about, if this does work, is that it would be a completely new type of approach to diabetes," Professor Baker said.

Diabetes or diabetes-related illnesses cause an estimated four million deaths worldwide each year, including about 4000 in New Zealand.

Diabetes NZ president Murray Dear said about 7500 new cases were diagnosed every year.

"One of the problems with diabetes is that it is a progressive disease and it's complex to treat.

"We welcome and support any research that is beneficial to diabetes sufferers."


SECRET ENZYME

* Diabetes affects 200,000 New Zealanders and is linked to 4000 deaths a year.

* Studies have shown diabetics have low levels of the sugar compound inositol because of high levels of myo-inositol oxygenase (MIOX) - the only enzyme known to break down inositol.

* Researchers have mapped the atomic structure of MIOX to help develop a drug to block the protein, which would regulate inositol levels and decrease the levels of glucose in the blood.