The beta cells in our pancreas act as highly sensitive sensors that constantly measure the amount of sugar in our blood. As soon as we eat something and the sugar level rises, the beta cells produce insulin to help the body process the sugar properly. This process requires an enormous amount of energy from the cells, which they generate in their own internal power stations, the mitochondria. Research now shows that iron is the crucial fuel that enables these power plants to function during cell growth.
"During the development of beta cells, there is a particular moment when they are particularly vulnerable", explains Annelore Van Mulders, from the beta cell neogenesis research group at the VUB and lead author of the article. At this stage, young beta cells open their 'doors' wide to iron via a special receptor. When we blocked the supply of iron, the cells were unable to progress to adulthood and died".
Strikingly, adult beta cells proved much less sensitive to temporary iron deficiency, indicating a unique 'hunger for iron' specific to the cell's growth phase.
Iron is essential for the pancreas
According to Professor Willem Staels, a paediatric endocrinologist with the Beta Cell Neogenesis Research Group at the VUB, this discovery opens up completely new perspectives. "We've known for some time that too much iron can be harmful to the pancreas, but what we didn't know until now was that iron is actually essential for its development. Our results show that iron is a necessary ingredient for transforming an immature cell into a healthy, functional beta cell". "This is another important step in the search for ways to grow beta cells in the laboratory as an alternative therapy for people with diabetes" Staels concludes.
Relevance for clinical practice
These results are also of great importance for day-to-day hospital care. Professor Nico De Leu, endocrinologist at UZ Brussel and co-leader of the research, explains that these results provide a better understanding of why people with disturbed iron status are more likely to have problems with sugar metabolism: "This study provides direct evidence that our body's insulin factories simply shut down in the absence of the mineral iron," he explains. Given that iron deficiency is the most widespread nutritional deficiency in the world, this study highlights the importance of a good iron balance for the prevention of metabolic diseases".
This discovery about the 'metabolic programming' of the pancreas opens the way to new treatments. By giving beta cells the right amount of iron at the right time, scientists may in future be able to produce healthier, stronger cells from stem cells.
Reference:
Van Mulders, A., Willems, L., Coenen, S. et al. Iron deficiency induces maturation-dependent loss of pancreatic β-cells. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69574-y
