Researchers find stem cell therapy ‘cure’ for type 1 diabetes

The findings were published in the September issue of the journal cellnote that before treatment, the woman’s body was unable to produce insulin on its own and she needed “large amounts” of prescription insulin to survive. But after three months of treatment, which involved extracting some pancreatic cells, reprogramming them, and reinjecting them into her abdomen, she began producing insulin naturally. In fact, one year later, her blood sugar remained within healthy target ranges “more than 98 percent of the day,” according to the study authors.

Similar transplants (using cell donor samples) have been performed in the past, but they mainly targeted patients with type 2 diabetes, a metabolic (rather than autoimmune) disease that can sometimes be cured by certain lifestyle changes. ease. A study in April 2024 cell discovery According to reports, insulin-producing islets (also known as pancreatic cells) were successfully transplanted into a 59-year-old man with type 2 diabetes. Findings revealed that he had stopped taking insulin since treatment.

Read on to learn why this new study is so unique and whether it’s a real step toward finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

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So, what makes cell Is the research so unique?

Past transplant studies have used cells from donors, but this study used cells from a person’s own body. This can reduce the risk of your body rejecting the transplant, which can happen with a donor sample, according to the National Library of Medicine. Researchers say it could also help alleviate the growing need for donated samples because your own stem cells can be cultured and stored in the lab indefinitely.

Another unique twist: The stem cells were not injected into the woman’s liver, which had been standard procedure for diabetes transplant treatments in the past, but into her abdominal muscles. This helps researchers closely monitor the cells and remove them when needed.

By two and a half months, the woman had produced enough insulin to “live without supplementation,” according to the study.

Two other participants also participated cell The study “showed positive results” in the woman who maintained healthy levels of insulin secretion for more than a year. Researchers need to follow participants over time to understand what the true success rate of transplantation is.

Does this mean they have found a cure for type 1 diabetes?

Not quite yet. The researchers stress that this is one person’s success story, but the treatment would need to be repeated many times to confirm its effectiveness. We also don’t know the long-term effects and success rate of the treatment—the woman’s insulin levels were only tracked for a year after treatment. Researchers don’t know whether her insulin levels will remain healthy in the coming years. Until then, experts won’t necessarily say she’s “cured.”

In addition, the women in the study were also taking immunosuppressive drugs at the time of treatment (and had previously received a liver transplant). So researchers can’t determine whether this helped reduce the risk of her body rejecting the stem cells. People who don’t take immunosuppressants may not have the same positive results.

Bottom line: This is a stunning breakthrough that could pave the way for future treatments and a possible cure for type 1 diabetes. But more research is needed to prove stem cells are the answer to curing Type 1 diabetes.