They managed to “cure” diabetes in a 25-year-old patient thanks to a stem cell transplant

A group of Chinese scientists managed to reverse a patient’s type 1 diabetes thanks to the transplantation of reprogrammed stem cells. The patient, a 25-year-old woman who had suffered from this disease for more than ten years, was able to regulate blood sugar levels naturally, about two and a half months after the minimally invasive surgery, which lasted only 30 minutes. The team behind this breakthrough has just published their findings in the journal Cell.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the patient’s immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. This means that patients cannot control glucose levels in the blood and require regular insulin injections.

Now, early results from a phase I clinical trial suggest that replacing lost insulin-producing cells with new ones may be a viable treatment. The first patient to receive this type of transplant has already more than a year without insulin dependencesays the team.

She is a 25-year-old woman who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 11 years ago and has been insulin dependent and treated since then. two liver transplants and one pancreas transplant as a result of his illness.

For the experiment, scientists isolated stem cells from adipose tissue and forced them to return to an earlier state of development, from which they could differentiate into almost any type of cell. They were then forced to become pancreatic islet cells, which were grown and transplanted into his abdominal muscles.

The team closely monitored the patient’s progress for a year after the transplant. Their daily insulin dose requirement began to decrease within two weeks and by day 75 he was completely insulin independent. They remained this way until the end of the year-long study period, spending more than 98% of their time within the healthy glycemic range. Scientists report no signs of abnormalities after transplantation.

were made other studies with Similar promising results, but this new study differs in some key ways. On the one hand, stem cells are induced chemically and not genetically and originate from another source within the patient’s body.

Except, were implanted in the abdominal muscles instead of the liveras in previous studies, which improved cell survival and maturation, made them easier to monitor and was a less invasive procedure for the patient.

The study suggests that the medication may be a viable option for treating diabetes, although it will require much more research. Two additional participants are currently recruited to participate in the study.