Patent ID: 8828934

Claim:
A method of screening for a candidate inhibitor of a pancreatic malfunction that decreases the kinase activity of Mitogen Activating Protein Kinase Interacting Kinases Mnk2a or Mnk2b, wherein said kinase activity is associated with type 2 diabetes, said method comprising the steps of: (a) identifying an inhibitor of the kinase activity of Mnk2a or Mnk2b by: (i) determining a first level of kinase activity of Mnk2a or Mnk2b in the absence of a candidate Mnk2 inhibitor; (ii) determining a second level of kinase activity of Mnk2a or Mnk2b in the presence of the Mnk2 candidate inhibitor; (iii) comparing the first and the second levels of the kinase activity of the Mnk2a or Mnk2b, wherein if the second level of kinase activity is less than the first level then the candidate inhibitor is identified as an Mnk2 inhibitor; and (b) determining if the Mnk2 inhibitor identified from step (iii) increases insulin-stimulated glucose transport and lipid synthesis during adipogenesis of preadipocyte cells, thereby identifying the Mnk2 inhibitor as a candidate for screening as an inhibitor of type 2 diabetes.