Transplantation of
laboratory produced Insulin cells
Scientists
have gererated insulin producing cells in the laboratory
and transplanted them into the mice and reversed
diabetes.
This new work involved prodding immature
stem cells from the pancreas to make abundant quantities
of islets in the laboratory and then transplanting them
into the pancreas of the mice. Islets cells are the
insulin producing factories in the pancreas.
The mice, who were involved in the
experiments had Type 1 diabetes, which occurs when the
body mistakenly destroys insulin-producing cells in the
pancreas. People with this disease must inject themselves
with insulin daily to survive.
In one set of experiments, eight diabetic
mice received the lab-generated islets and then were
weaned from insulin injections over a few days. Within a
week after injections stopped, they showed a decline in
blood-sugar levels. They remained healthy without insulin
injections until they were killed for examination of the
implant, a period of up to 55 days from implantation.
This scientific development may one day
revolutionize treatment of diabetics especially the Type
1 Diabetes. This type of diabetes develops more commonly
in a younger age group.
New achievement in Pancreas Cell
Transplants
 
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