I see this news is being reported in severalplaces. It's interesting because there's been so much talk about using stem cells to treat diabetes. Now Novocell says that they were able to use human stem cells to control diabetes in mice.
This approach is not yet perfect because some of the mice developed tumors. I'm guessing that we won't see anything come out of these labs for several years.
An article in today's Washington Post reports on research that has found stem cells in the pancreas of mice. I'm not sure whether it matters, but it appears these were regular mice or NOD (non-obese diabetes) mice.
"This demonstrates a stem cell repair mechanism in the pancreas that, if we understand it more, then we can help develop more cures with either transplantation or with drugs that can increase the body's own stem cells and beta cells," said Paul Sanberg, director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa.
I think this is another example of research that can contribute to thinking differently about how our pancreases truly work. It may be a long time before this research leads to human treatment, but it's another step in the right direction.
I stumbled across this interesting article that outlines what it might take to actually turn a stem cell into a beta cell. Beta cells are the pancreatic cells that produce insulin.
The author, Paul Myers, is an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota, so I'd hope he's fairly accurate in his description of the process.
Let me summarize the article by saying, making beta cells from stem cells isn't going to be easy. Reading the steps involved reminds me of the song Dry Bones, 'With the leg bone connected to the knee bone, and the knee bone connected to the thigh bone...'.
To make a beta cell, you have to first convert ES cells into mesendoderm, then into endoderm, then into Anterior Definitive Endoderm (ADE), then into midgut endoderm, then into general pancreatic tissue, then into pancreatic endocrine cells, and finally, you can apply a signal to switch them into the beta cell state.
And even if this could all be done, you'd still need to deal with the
chronic difficulty of removing whatever destroyed the patient's original set of beta cells.
So I won't be holding my breath on this line of research. I think it'll bring benefits, but probably not anytime soon. My money is still on the research being done by Dr. Denise Faustman.
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.
