Boosting protein folding could protect insulin-making cells in diabetes

MedicalXpress | Jun 14, 2026

Origami masters turn simple sheets of paper into ornate sculptures. In the origami of life, our cells must fold proteins into specific three-dimensional shapes before they can carry out their biological jobs. This folding process goes awry as prediabetes progresses into diabetes. Misfolded and dysfunctional proteins then build up in cells like discarded wads of paper in an origami student's recycling bin. This abnormal accumulation stresses the cells responsible for producing insulin.