There is good news for diabetic patients. They will no longer need to inject insulin –
thanks to a treatment involving the use of insulin-producing cells which Harvard
University scientists discovered how to make.
The cure could, therefore, be imminent as the scientists have produced large volumes
of laboratory-grown pancreatic cells required for one-off transplantation in
patients.
The breakthrough has been hailed and compared to the invention of antibiotics. It
involved identifying how to efficiently turn both stem cell types into beta cells.
The cells, millions of which were manufactured, produced insulin, responded to
glucose, worked on mice for many months and will soon be used to treat humans.
The discovery is the result of 23 years of research by Harvard Professor Doug
Melton, whose study of type 1 diabetes was prompted by his son having the condition
as a six-month-old. His daughter received the same diagnoses.
The cells could be used to treat all patients rather than each person needing their
own genetically matched treatment.
The cells tested on mice were placed in a porous capsule to protect them from
attacks by the body’s immune system, while allowing the insulin to diffuse out.
This means the cells could be produced on an industrial scale and used on patients
without possible immune rejection, while the capsule could be replaced if it stopped
working.
A report on the work is published in the October 10 edition of the journal Cell. Online
reports quoted Prof Melton as saying: “It was gratifying to know that we could do
something that we always thought was possible, but many people felt it wouldn’t work.
We are now just one pre-clinical step away from the finish line.”
Asked about his children’s reaction he said: “I think like all kids, they always assumed
that if I said I’d do this, I’d do it.”
Prof Melton said the stem cell-derived beta cells are presently undergoing trials in
animal models, including non-human primates, where they are still producing insulin
after several months,.
The team at Harvard used embryonic stem cells to produce human insulin-producing
cells equivalent in almost every way to normally functioning cells.
The Telegraph quoted Professor of Regenerative Medicine, University College London
Chris Mason as saying the discovery was “potentially a major medical breakthrough”.
“If this scalable technology is proven to work in both the clinic and in the
manufacturing facility, the impact on the treatment of diabetes will be a medical
game-changer on a par with antibiotics and bacterial infections,” he said.
Head of Institute of Integrative Biology at the University of Liverpool, Prof Anthony
Hollander, added: “This is very exciting fundamental research that solves a major
roadblock in the development of a stem cell treatment for diabetes.
“The study provides a very elegant and convincing method for generating functional
insulin-producing cells in large numbers.”
Prof Mark Dunne of Manchester University said: “Overall this is an important advance
for the field of diabetes and people with Type 1 diabetes.”
Prof Elaine Fuchs of Rockefeller University described the findings as “one of the
most important advances to date in the stem cell field”, adding: “For decades,
researchers have tried to generate human pancreatic beta cells that could be
cultured and passaged long term under conditions where they produce insulin.”
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that causes the pancreas to stop
producing insulin – the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels.
If the amount of glucose in the blood is too high it can seriously damage the body’s
organs over time.
While diabetics can keep their glucose levels under general control by injecting insulin,
that does not provide the fine tuning necessary to properly control metabolism, which
can lead to devastating complications such as blindness or loss of limbs.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/scientists-discover-cure-for-diabetes/

This is indeed goodnews, atleast now i can flex my sugar. Waiter...! bring me the akamu and and plantain with plenty sugar.

This is a great discovery and a major breakthrough in Science
I'm so happy.

best news of the year.am tired of hearing about Ebola.ISIS.Boko Haram.
As of today.many faces will be lighted all over the globe by this great news.
Its the lords doing.praise God.

*consuming a packet of sugar at the moment*

That are realy good news because I have a cousin with this and he has at the moment a Insulin pump since he is 25 and he was one of the first to get this in my country and this is now about 30 years ago and he can live a real normal life.

But this news are very good.

Ope oooo. I'm just praying it should be easily affordable.

Cancer next please! And HIV/AIDS

Infomizer:
Cancer next please! And HIV/AIDS

On cancer they are working, but this take time.