SAN FRANCISCO (WSVN) — Scientists may have just reached a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for Type 1 diabetes.
According to the University of California San Francisco, researchers have transformed human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells.
“We can now generate insulin-producing cells that look and act a lot like the pancreatic beta cells you and I have in our bodies. This is a critical step towards our goal of creating cells that could be transplanted into patients with diabetes,” said Dr. Matthias Hebrok, senior author of the study.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that destroys insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, usually in childhood.
The condition can be managed by taking regular shots of insulin, which manages the body’s glucose levels, but patients still often experience serious health consequences like kidney failure, heart disease and stroke.
A pancreas transplant from a deceased donor is possible. However, doctors said they are rare and the wait time is long. Doctors said that even then, the transplant may fail for a number of reasons.
Researchers said the cells they were able to transform were transplanted into mice and found that the cells were functional in a matter of days and were producing insulin in response to blood sugar.
Doctors must still conduct more research, and it is unclear if the discovery will lead to a full cure just yet. However, they are hopeful for the future.
“We’re finally able to move forward on a number of different fronts that were previously closed to us,” Hebrok said. “The possibilities seem endless.”
For more information on the discovery, click here.
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