Someday, men with Type 1 diabetes may be cured using stem cells from their own testes, if a current line of research pans out.
Researchers have taken the stem cells that would differentiate into sperm from adult men and, after a five-week process, transformed them into cells that secrete insulin, just like the beta islet cells in the pancreas, which Type 1 diabetes destroys. The researchers will presented their findings at the American Society of Cell Biology 50th annual meeting in Philadelphia.
In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys the beta-islet cells of the pancreas, so the body can no longer process glucose using insulin, the hormone they produce.
With these new, pseudo-pancreatic cells, the researchers have successfully brought down the blood glucose levels of diabetic mice. The technique is promising, but there's still work to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment