A cure for type 1 diabetes may be on the horizon, as researchers have made remarkable progress with transplant therapies.
As published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the use of transplant therapies in previous patients enabled the ability to restore the patients’ production of insulin without the need for drug intervention.
In their latest findings, researchers specified of a 64-year-old patient from the American state of Ohio, who, upon being administered a transplant of experimental pancreatic stem cells, is able to automatically control his insulin and blood sugar levels.
“This concept has particular appeal for type 1 diabetes, a condition in which the loss of approximately 0.8 g of pancreatic β cells results in a lifelong need for insulin injections,” according to researchers.
“Added to this, type 1 diabetes can be reversed by a pancreas or islet cell transplant, which provides proof of principle for cell-based therapy.”
At the forefront of the experimental stem cell treatment are Vertex and other pharmaceutical companies who aim to enhance these stem cell therapies.
The study’s authors assert further research is warranted.
