A 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes became the first person to successfully receive a transplant of insulin-producing cells derived from her own reprogrammed stem cells. Less than three months after the transplant, she began producing her own insulin and has been free from insulin injections for over a year. She now enjoys eating foods she couldn’t before, such as sugar and hotpot.
This groundbreaking procedure, reported in Nature, marks a major step forward in diabetes treatment. James Shapiro, a transplant surgeon, said the surgery has completely reversed her diabetes, which previously required significant insulin doses.
A similar success occurred in Shanghai, where a 59-year-old man with type 2 diabetes received insulin-producing islets made from his own stem cells. He also no longer needs insulin. These pioneering studies demonstrate the potential of stem cells as a treatment for diabetes, offering a limitless supply of tissue and reducing the need for donor organs and immune-suppressing drugs.
Source: BioMedCentral
Author: Saikat Bhattacharya
