As the number of diabetes cases continues to rise alarmingly, a recent scientific breakthrough offers new hope for patients worldwide.
People suffering from diabetes have to deal with severe daily constraints. Managing blood sugar levels and insulin injections are an exhausting routine.
Inadequate diabetes management can lead to serious complications such as vision loss, kidney dysfunction, and even limb amputation. Therefore, progress in this field is crucial.
There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1, where the immune system attacks insulin-producing pancreatic cells, and type 2, characterized by insufficient insulin production by the pancreas.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95% of global cases. Recently, researchers in Shanghai have managed to cure this type of diabetes in a human patient, causing immense surprise.
Unlike previous studies often limited to animal models, this time, a 59-year-old man was completely rid of his type 2 diabetes.
The innovative treatment targets defective pancreatic beta cells. Chinese researchers cultured these cells from the patient’s stem cells, then transplanted them into his pancreas.
After the transplantation, the cells started producing insulin again. For 33 months, the patient has shown no signs of diabetes.
American researchers have also obtained promising results using drugs to develop these cells directly in the bodies of mice. Human trials are expected to begin next year.
Summary:
Target: Pancreatic beta cells
Method: Use of stem cells
Duration: 33 months symptom-free
Advance: Drugs on mice
The advancements are impressive:
– 500 million people with type 2 diabetes could benefit from this therapy.
– A 59-year-old man was cured by a pancreatic cell transplant.
– American researchers hope for similar results in humans as early as next year.
Could this discovery mark the beginning of the end for type 2 diabetes?