Chapter 4: Amyloidosis Inhibition and Detection of Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide with Nanomaterials

Type 2 diabetes (T2D), a metabolic disorder that is associated with progressive β-cell failure, manifests as a decline in insulin secretion and increasing hyperglycemia. A growing body of evidence suggests that β-cell failure in T2D correlates with the formation of pancreatic islet amyloid deposits, indicating that islet amyloid may have an important role in β-cell loss in this disease. Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP; amylin), the major component of islet amyloid, is co-secreted with insulin from β-cells. The mechanism(s) responsible for islet amyloid formation in T2D is still unclear. Inhibitors of islet amyloid fibril formation might prevent the progression to β-cell failure in T2D and should therefore be considered as a therapeutic approach to treat this disease. In addition to the mitigation efforts, sensing and imaging of IAPP amyloidosis is another important research area central to the development of anti-T2D theranostics.