From Diabetes newshound: “Researchers say that could have a cure for Type 1 diabetes in two to five years by using an individual’s own stem cells to create new insulin-producing islet cells, according to a recent article from ArkLaTex.com. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly identifies the body’s insulin-producing cells as foreign cells and destroys them. Currently, doctors have transplanted islet cells from one human to another. However, such a procedure requires heavy doses of immunosuppressant drugs to prevent the body from rejecting the transplanted cells. Researchers say the new procedure would not need such drugs. Researchers said the next step is to grow at least half a billion islets to cure diabetes in one human. However, testing would need to be done on animals first. The article did not indicate how the researchers planned to address the autoimmune component of the disease.”
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