Insulin secretion is principally regulated by the beta cell response to glucose. This secretory response is multiphasic with an initial burst of insulin secretion followed by sustained or increasing secretion. This complex timing of secretion is important for body function and is lost in type 2 diabetes. Beta cells normally function, and are normally regulated, within the islets of Langerhans which are composed of many hundreds of cells. However, due to technical limitations, beta cell function within islets is not well understood. To this end we have developed new methods that study single beta cells within an islet. Our new evidence shows that beta cells are structurally polarised and secretion of insulin is targeted to the vasculature.
