New STEM cell technology could soon cure Type 1 Diabetes
Unfortunately, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is not curable, it is only treatable. However, there is hope that one day both types can be cured. Researchers are one step closer to curing them, as MIT and Harvard researchers have found a way to create pancreatic beta cells, the ones that produces insulin in large quantities, back in 2014. That team recently announced that they have successfully implanted those cells into mice without the cells getting rejected. Impressively, the mice who had Type 1 Diabetes was able to produce insulin for the 147-day study period.
If the beta cells work, instead of having daily injections of insulin, the diabetic would only need one beta cell "booster" injection every few years. Study co-author Daniel Anderson said in a statement that this method "has the potential to provide diabetics with a new pancreas that is protected from the immune system, which would allow them to control their blood sugar without taking drugs." Human trials of the STEM cell technology will begin in the next few years.
Via: | Engadget |
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Source: | Nature |
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Image Credit: | Kemsat |
