Patent ID: 8557513

Claim:
An in vitro method for identifying candidate compounds for limiting development of and/or treating diabetes, comprising (a) contacting a population of insulin secreting cells with an amount of apolipoprotein CIII (ApoCIII) effective to increase density and/or conductivity of Ca v 1 channels, in the presence of one or more test compounds; and (b) identifying those positive test compounds that inhibit an ApoCIII-induced increase in density and/or conductivity of Ca v 1 channels in the population of insulin secreting cells compared to control, wherein the control comprises contacting a control population of insulin secreting cells with an amount of ApoCIII effective to increase density and/or conductivity of Ca v 1 channels, in the presence of the one or more test compounds and further contacting the control population of insulin secreting cells with a Src kinase inhibitor and a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, wherein positive test compounds that inhibit the ApoCIII-induced increase in density and/or conductivity of Ca v 1 channels in the population of insulin secreting cells to a greater degree than in the control population of insulin secreting cells are candidate compounds for limiting development of and/or treating diabetes.