IRS2 and cancer: For example, Dicer can be upregulated by AMPK activator metformin which produces mir-33a to target c-MYC, insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2), and hypoxia-inducible factor alpha (HIFα) to switch glucose from nucleotide biosynthesis to catabolic pathways and subsequently reduce the incidence of cancer and cancer-related mortality in diabetic patients [34].