Stem cell cures for diabetes

New stem cell technology offers cure hope for diabetes.

Scientists have now found a way to use stem cells from human bone marrow to repair defective insulin producing pancreatic cells responsible for causing diabetes in both humans and mice. This type of stem cell treatment also halts damage to the kidneys caused by the diabetes condition.

Researchers are hopeful that this type of treatment may become an effective cure for diabetes in the near future, once more studies are conducted.  So what exactly are stem cells? Stem cells are immature cells which are powerful enough to turn into any kind of tissue in the body. United States scientists have already successfully treated diabetic mice who had high blood sugar and damaged kidneys.

The group of mice that were injected with stem cells showed a production of higher levels of insulin than the untreated mice. These results were observed after only three weeks and the treated mice also had lower blood sugar levels. The injections also had a positive effect on the glomeration of bulb-like structures in the kidneys that are responsible for filtering the blood efficiently. The human cells are responsible for repairing the kidneys in the same exact manner as they repair the insulin-producing cells located in the pancreas.

U.S. scientists also believe that they could use brain stem cells to help cure diabetes. While this method is not yet tested on humans, results in animals have been very promising. This method works by coaxing immature cells in the brain to develop into insulin-producing islet cells that are not evident in diabetes.

While there is no cure for diabetes, researchers are hoping that emerging new stem cell research may change all of that. In a recent clinical trial, thirteen young diabetes patients have been able to completely stop taking their insulin injections after a course of stem cell treatments.

The stem cells were drawn from their own blood. This is promising since it may mean that in the future, diabetes patients will not need daily insulin injections to survive.  All the stem cell research conducted suggests a success rate of at least 90%! This is unheard of in the medical field. The beauty of this type of treatment is that the patient’s own bone marrow stem cells are used, thus guaranteeing a perfect match.

Stem cells also have the potential and flexibility to grow into different types of tissue, offering insights to a promising cure in the near future.