A group of medical researchers from a large number of institutions in China have eradicated type 1 diabetes in a female patient through stem cell programming and injecting her with the cells.
The study to be published in Cell Journal, the researchers grouped obtained a few cells from patients, and turned them into stem cells to be developed into pancreatic cells and finally implanted them in their bodies in the abdominal region.
They have used it to create other things, for instance the scientists have engineered them to be organoids which are organs and biological tissue. It has also been used in management of diseases like muscle damage and sickle cell disease among other diseases. In this new study, the researchers employ them to reinstate the pancreatic islets eradicated by a preposterous immune response, which causes type 1 diabetes.
The pathology of the disease continues to elude a clear understanding and for some reason the body mobilises its immune system and attacks part of the pancreas that contains islets that make insulin. These occur during the teenage years hence the name juvenile diabetes even though it affects all ages.
Since the islets are destroyed, any cure for the disease would require replacing the islets in some form, either through transplantation of islets from a healthy donor or in this novel example by reprogramming the patient’s cells to generate pluripotent stem cells that can then be converted into functional islets.
In this new effort, the researchers took cells from three type 1 diabetes patients – all the cells were brought back to the embryonic-like state and then coaxed into turning into pancreatic islets.
The researchers stated that they have changed the standard procedure where the cells are introduced with certain proteins but instead were supplemented with molecules. The procedure of treatment involved patients using a particular approach simultaneous to the discovery of results from the first patient utilised for the second then the third.
Researchers transplanted about 1.5 million of the islets cells which they cultivated into a 25 years old woman.This placed them in the abdomen so that when necessary, monitoring was easy as well as their removal.
After two and half months, tests proved that the patient’s body was producing insulin thus no more injections were necessary. A year into semi-homebrewing her own insulin, she was still making it.
Reference:
Yirka B. Patient with type 1 diabetes functionally cured using stem cell injections
