Stem Cell Therapy info
Research Points to Stem Cell Therapy for
Diabetes<br
researchers said on Tuesday they had succeeded in coaxing
human embryonic stem cells into producing the hormone
insulin, in a key step toward creating a revolutionary
treatment for type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.<br
that were derived from a human embryo days after
fertilization were transformed with chemical prodding into an
abundant mass of cells possessing important qualities of
the cells of the pancreas that secrete insulin, the
researchers said. Those cells are called islet cells, or beta
cells.<br
embryonic stem cells to treat type 1 diabetes. The
appearance of the study in the journal Diabetes, published
by the American Diabetes Association, comes as
President George W. Bush (news - web sites) considers
whether to allow federal funding for research involving
human embryonic stem cells.<br
are known for their ability to transform into
virtually every cell type. Some scientists hope to harness
this quality to treat type 1 diabetes by transplanting
these cells into the bodies of patients in order to
create healthy islet cells to secrete and regulate
insulin.<br
therapeutic strategies´´ for type 1 diabetes using stem
cells, the researchers write. The investigators are with
the Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion,
Israel Institute of Technology and the Rambam Medical
Center in Haifa, and were led by Suheir Assady.
October 19th, 2005 at 2:58 pm
Dr. Christopher Saudek, president of the American
Diabetes Association and a professor of medicine at Johns
Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, called the
findings ”exciting.”<br
people have talked about the possibility that human stem
cells could be made to produce insulin. But here it is
being demonstrated,´´ Saudek said in a telephone
interview.<br
insulin due to an immune system attack on its
insulin-producing cells. Insulin is a hormone necessary for cells
to be able to use blood sugar (glucose), the basic
fuel for body cells.<br
Americans have type 1 diabetes, which strikes children and
some adults suddenly, making them dependent on daily
insulin injections to stay alive. People with the disease
face complications such as heart disease, stroke,
amputation, blindness and kidney failure.<br
transplantation is one strategy for combating the disease, but
there is an insufficient supply of organs.
Investigators are exploring alternative sources of the
insulin-producing islet cells.<br
said the cells they created in the laboratory
possessed many characteristics of islet cells, including
insulin production and release. But they acknowledged
they had not shown that the cells could regulate
insulin secretion based upon the body’s glucose
levels.<br
October 20th, 2005 at 4:34 pm
“Although we have not demonstrated glucose
responsiveness, we cannot conclude that the cells are glucose
unresponsive,´´ the researchers write.<br
have demonstrated that you can turn on the gas. What
they haven´t demonstrated is that you have brakes and
accelerators to control it. And that´s what you would need in
a final use,´´ Saudek said.<br
government has never funded research involving human
embryonic stem cells, the study could not have been
conducted in the United States with grant money from the
National Institutes of Health (news - web sites), the
major supporter of medical research.<br
definitely the kind of research that would be accelerated
enormously if federal funds could be made available for
it,´´ Saudek
said.<br
would be interested in this
information that I got from About.com’s Diabetes
section.<br