Photo: prof. E. Ordesa Roche (2005).
Last week the English Diabetes Society awarded its annual prize Enrique Roche, based in Alicante Aragonese researcher and professor at the University Miguel Hernández . The jury was essentially a lifetime spent in the field of molecular research on insulin-producing cells. The most surprising if, as appears from its statement after receiving the award and published, among others, in the Journal information or "The World" is that this researcher at the height of his scientific career, was about leave their projects due to lack of support and funding. Many Researchers may be reflected in the "Curious Case of Henry Roche."
Roche Research Professor at the University Miguel Hernández has spent the last five years without any funding from the ministries concerned. His work, despite this fact, has sought to demonstrate in the laboratory the possible implications of the differentiation protocols mouse embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells. These investigations were very important, not only scientific but also the media, at the beginning of this decade because of their connection with a possible future treatment of diabetes. The multidisciplinary group made these pioneering works in Alicante and the teacher belonged Roche, was divided in two for over four years. A portion of these scholars went to Sevilla to continue these and other projects from a center created with great institutional support. The other party continued at the Institute of Bioengineering Miguel Hernández University, with very limited funding. However, the perseverance of Professor Roche has recently led to extend this research on embryonic cells by adding additional controls. Studies soon to be sent for publication in a scientific journal specializing and as part of a doctoral thesis, demonstrates that insulin that embryonic cells can produce mostly to the protocols currently published, is not the type that is in the endocrine pancreas helps to regulate glucose, but which corresponds rather to the type 2 insulin producing other cell types, such as cells of nervous origin. Therefore, the possible future use of embryonic cells to treat diabetes is not as obvious as it was assumed at the outset and will be further investigated to select most appropriate cell types. From "Curious Case of Enrique Roche" we can draw several conclusions important. A science that should go very slowly when the company disclosed to potential clinical implications of basic research and one that we must deepen our and rigorously on results. This is what the teacher has done that Roche and has received an important award that we hope will help further scientific work.
