An article published in the journal Nature reports how scientists have converted pancreatic cells into insulin-producing beta cells. In a bid to make this more interesting (my opinion) they're calling this process "extreme makeover". This is of great interest because it means that stem cells may not be needed to produce replacement cells for different parts of the body.
I think that, for those of us with type 1 diabetes, it still leaves us with the problem that these newly-converted cells are still subject to the same destructive forces that killed off our original beta cells. But it's certainly a step in the right direction.
According to US News and World Report, the conversion involves three transcription factors (think of them as ingredients in the process). While the cells did reduce high blood sugar they didn't respond to glucose.
To me it will be a long time before this research produces any real world solutions to diabetes. But it's another piece of the puzzle that may ultimately lead to a cure.
Update: Medgadget has a post about this research with a cool picture of the cells involved.
You know how challenging it is to live with diabetes. Those days when it seems nothing is going right. You can't control your blood sugars, then you get a bleeder when changing an infusion set and your meter runs out of batteries at the worst possible time. The countless times when the possibility of complications weigh heavily on our hearts. The frustrations of not being able to eat something without first having to do some math.
You get the picture, you know the story.
It's hard to see any positives to diabetes, but they do exist.
Given my love of carbs, if I didn't have type 1 diabetes I probably would have eaten myself to death by now. Despite diabetes I've been able to do pretty much anything I want. And diabetes has led me to things I wouldn't have done without it.
So I see joy is some aspects of diabetes. And it seems I'm not the only one.
I got a copy of Bob Hawkinson's excellent book The Joy of Diabetes, and I've read it twice. I plan to try and do this every other month.
Bob's message is simple but important. Diabetes is serious, but if you take care of it properly then you can have joy in your life despite the big D. His book is also a great high-level overview of type 1 diabetes, outlining what's important without drowning the reader in details. Excellent reading for diabetes newbies.
His book starts six points for a 'Life of Joy'
Accept the disease
Understand the disease, as much as possible
Manage diabetes
Be there for folks who need you
Remember to laugh at myself from time to time
Relax and take charge of my life
For me, this was a quick read. It helped me focus on some important points. I especially liked the idea of ensuring that I will be there for others. The best way to do this is to take charge of my diabetes.
I like the colorful drawings and I especially liked the slightly larger type face. Some might think this makes it more like a children's book - it's certainly approachable enough to be read by teenagers. But this choice of font makes it easy to read and is probably even better for folks who may be struggling with eye problems.
This may not be for everyone, but I see the book (and some magnets he kindly sent me) as great parts of the toolkit I use for living with diabetes. Joyfully.
Etiquette is all about being polite. It's also (for me) is a hard word to spell. I need to practice writing it some more.
Have you ever sat down to eat, you're about to put a bite of food into your mouth and a colleague says "I didn't know you were allowed to eat that"? I've one specific co-worker that's probably said that to me several times in the last two months. And boy does it make me mad. I'm planning on sending her a copy of this nice diabetes etiquette card(PDF) that's been put together by the folks at the Behavioral Diabetes Institute. The card offers 10 suggestions expressed as DOs and DON'Ts. For example
DON’T look so horrified when I check my blood sugars or give myself an injection.
DO realize and appreciate that diabetes is hard work.
DON’T tell me horror stories about your grandmother or other people with diabetes you have heard about.
They're all good points and they may stop you from strangling that person who just won't stop giving 'helpful' advice.
The trials sound very interesting and it looks like they've made a lot of progress. It's also good to see the interest in diabetes that has been generated due to the artificial pancreas project.
This is because of the recent NIH, FDA, and JDRF 2-day collaborative workshop on the Artificial Pancreas. The sessions were recorded. You can see the video for day one here, and for day two here.
The agencies and people involved seem to be taking a very pragmatic approach to combining the individual technology pieces to this puzzle. All of the required pieces of hardware already exist, the hard part is getting the software to work so that insulin and blood glucose controls can be automatically controlled. Thankfully those involved seem to be working to get a solution that's usable rather than a 'perfect' device. Hopefully the early prototypes will quickly inform folks about ways in which the overall approach can be improved.
The CBS piece mentions that the artificial pancreas may be available in 5 to 10 years.Because of approval and regulatory issues, I would guess this is closer to 10 years out. I hope it's a lot sooner than that.
If you're a regular reader, you'll know I've been offline for a few weeks, this was for good reasons. We visited Ireland for a big family reunion and had a wonderful time.
I'm finally back on East Coast Time, but still missing all of my family in Ireland (including my darling grand-daughter) and the wonders of beautiful Kilkee in County Clare in Ireland. I promise to post a few pictures in the next fortnight or so.
In the last two years I've raised funds for Dr. Denise Faustman's research into a cure for type 1 diabetes. This year, the Bike the Miles folks don't have an event as they their fund-raising goal. So I've been preparing to take part in a triathlon and use that as a fund-raising opportunity. For me, that's a big challenge, even if this isn't an Ironman-type triathlon.
So on Saturday September 6th I'll be taking part in the Hyannis Sprint 2 Triathlon on Cape Cod. The triathlon has a quarter-mile swim, 10 mile bike ride and 3.5 mile run. If you're going to be there, I'd love to say hello.
I'd like to challenge you to sponsor my triathlon so I can raise more funds for Dr. Faustman's research. In previous years I started fund-raising in the spring, so I know it'll be a stretch to get more than $3,600. But that's my goal for this year: $100 for each year I've had type 1 diabetes.
I'll do the sweating and you just have to write a check of any size. (If you're a US taxpayer the amount is a charitable donation.)
Your check should be made out to Massachusetts General Hospital with Dr. Faustman Type 1 research in the memo field.
You can either send it to me at my P.O. Box Bernard Farrell P.O Box 937 Westford, MA 01886
Or you can send it directly to the hospital at The Massachusetts General Hospital-East Attn: Lynne Murphy Building 149, 13th Street, Room 3602 Charlestown, MA 02129
If you're doing this to sponsor my triathlon, please send me an email (bernard.farrell@gmail.com) letting me know how much you sent to Mass. General so I can track the level of sponsorship I get.
As always I'm grateful for any support I get in this effort and I do plan to have a page acknowledging all the support I get (let me know if you don't want your name on this page).
The Diabetes Technology Blog is focused on using technology to life better with diabetes. I review: blood glucose monitors; continuous glucose monitor; blood sugar meters; diabetes software and living with diabetes.
About Me
Name: Bernard Farrell
Location: Massachusetts, United States
I was born in Ireland and now live in the US.
I have had Type 1 diabetes for over 35 years. I struggle with my blood sugar, the same as most people with diabetes.
I wear a Cozmo 1800 insulin pump and a Dexcom SEVEN CGM to track my blood glucose levels. I also take Symlin to help control my post-meal blood sugars.
I'm blessed by God, and every day brings the possibility of a cure.
I got a copy of Bob Hawkinson's excellent book 
I'm planning on sending her a copy of this nice 
