Guangdong, June 10, 2024, The Europe Today: Chinese scientists have harnessed the power of one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, Tianhe-2, to identify a promising therapeutic strategy for treating complications arising from diabetes. Tianhe-2, located in south China’s Guangdong Province, is currently ranked 16th among the world’s top 500 fastest computers, as published last month.
Utilizing the Virtual Screening on Tianhe-2 (VSTH) platform, a high-throughput screening system operating on the supercomputer, a research team from Sun Yat-sen University has discovered that 2MBC, a branched-chain acylcarnitine, can significantly accelerate blood clot formation in the body. This breakthrough offers a potential new therapeutic target for addressing diabetic complications.
Diabetes is among the most prevalent chronic conditions globally and can lead to severe complications, including blood clot formation, which is a major cause of disability and mortality in diabetic patients. The research team found that 2MBC has a direct effect on platelets, enhancing their aggregation, spreading, and contraction abilities. These effects were observed in both rodent models and human studies.
2MBC is a metabolite produced by the gut microbiota. The study, recently published in the journal Cell Metabolism, revealed that pre-treatment with antibiotics to eliminate gut bacteria effectively halts the metabolic conversion of 2MBC, highlighting the crucial role of gut microbiota in this process.
“This discovery paves the way for novel therapeutic targets and innovative strategies in combating complications associated with metabolic disorders like diabetes,” said the researchers from Sun Yat-sen University. They emphasized the potential of 2MBC in developing new treatments to manage and mitigate diabetic complications.
The Tianhe-2 team has also committed to enhancing the drug discovery platform, leveraging its vast data resources and exceptional performance capabilities to drive groundbreaking innovations in biomedicine. This ongoing effort aims to further advance the field of drug discovery and develop more effective treatments for various medical conditions.
