Novel Strategies to Protect and Visualize Pancreatic β Cells in Diabetes

A common feature in the pathophysiology of different types of diabetes is the reduction of β cell mass and/or impairment of β cell function. Diagnosis and treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes is currently hampered by a lack of reliable techniques to restore β cell survival, to improve insulin secretion, and to quantify β cell mass in patients. Current new approaches may allow us to precisely and specifically visualize β cells in vivo and provide viable therapeutic strategies to preserve, recover, and regenerate β cells. In this review, we discuss recent protective approaches for β cells and the advantages and limitations of current imaging probes in the field.