Partial success in diabetes therapy trial

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Cell transplants can reverse type 1 diabetes, according to some new experiments.
One approach to treating type 1 diabetes is to transplant the islets of the pancreas which contain the cells that produce insulin. For in type 1 diabetes, these beta-cells are destroyed by the immune system. Islets are, unfortunately, in short supply so another option is a transplant of beta-cells.

Previous research has suggested that such cell transplants can reverse type 1 diabetes in mice. Now researchers at the University of Chicago and elsewhere report a confirmation of this research. Using mice which are genetically modified to have type 1 diabetes, they found that transplants of stem cells from the spleen of the animals can indeed reverse the condition in 32 per cent of cases. This is impressive, although the strange thing is that there was no sign of the stem cells in the pancreas. More work is needed to find out how the diabetes is being reversed - but the confirmation that it can be done with a stem cell transplant is surely good news for those with type 1 diabetes.

Source
Science 24th March 2006

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