A special kind of body scan using a radioactive tag might help scientists see how insulin-making cells change in people with diabetes or obesity, which could help in developing new treatments.

If someone has obesity, their body might have fewer GLP-1 receptors. A special scan could help doctors see if those receptors come back after treatment with certain weight-loss drugs or surgery.

A special kind of body scan might help doctors tell the difference between when insulin-making cells in the pancreas are gone versus just not working right — without needing surgery — which could help better manage diabetes.

A special kind of body scan using a tagged molecule might help doctors find tiny tumors in the pancreas that cause low blood sugar — all without surgery.