The present ivnention relates to assay systems and methods for screening for therapeutic agents and other therapeutic approaches with applicability to one or more of the treatment, prevention, palliation or delay of development or manifestation of one or more of: (i) reduced insulin production and/or secretion symptoms associated with type I and II diabetes, including impaired glucose tolerance or reduced insulin response to glucose, especially reduced or ablated first-phase insulin secretion, and decreased or defective Glut2 expression. The invention also relates to a transgenic diabetes type I and II laboratory animal comprising β-cells in which Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-kB) is down regulated or absent as well as the B-cells as such. The transgenic animal may express a domainant-negative mutant of Inhibitor kappa B alpha (IkB-alpha), which inhibits the activation of NF-kB.
展开▼
