Chinese study: Finding a cure for diabetes for the first time in the world
Checking the blood sugar level of a diabetic patient
(Associated Press)For the first time in the world, Chinese researchers announced that they had succeeded in finding a cure for diabetes, using stem cells in a 59-year-old patient, who underwent a pioneering cell transplant in 2021 and had not taken medications since 2022.
A man who suffered from type 2 diabetes for 25 years was cured
The man had suffered from type 2 diabetes for 25 years, and had lost almost all function of these cells, known as 'islets'. Before the cell transplant, he was at high risk of developing fatal complications, which required several doses of insulin to be injected every day to prevent him from falling into a diabetic coma.
The Chinese study is the result of decades of research in several countries
The study was conducted by researchers in China under the supervision of Dr. Yin Hao, and its results were published in the journal Cell Discovery. It is the result of decades of research across many countries on the best ways to treat diabetes. Several websites and magazines talked about it, such as the British Daily Mail.
The study shows that diabetes can be completely cured
The article published in the Daily Mail stated that the treatment included creating an artificial copy of the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin and keep blood sugar levels under control.
Noting that to date no one has ever been “cured” of diabetes, the study showed that it is possible to restore the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar naturally without changing the patient’s lifestyle, by using stem cells, which are a type of empty cell that They can be converted into many different types of cells that the body needs to function.
Under the right conditions, these stem cells can turn into brain, muscle, kidney or even pancreas tissue.
The treatment used a new chemical cocktail to transform the patient's stem cells into pancreatic cells that produce insulin, which tells the body when to pull sugar from the food we eat for energy.
A treatment that helps the patient produce his own insulin again
In diabetics, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar, resulting in too much or too little blood sugar, which in turn causes nerve damage, kidney damage, heart disease, and other diseases.
The researchers suggest that by implanting new lab-grown cells that can produce insulin, the patient can start producing their own insulin again. This is what doctors noticed in the Chinese patient.
A promising study, but it needs more testing
This study is considered promising, according to other researchers who were not involved in it, but before that, scientists will have to test their treatment on more patients.
Currently, converting empty “seed cells” into functional pancreatic cells is very complex, time-consuming and expensive. Scientists will have to make the process easier to make it possible for most people.
Scientists believe that this treatment will only succeed in treating patients with type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of the disease.
According to the study authors, patients with type 1 diabetes, whose pancreas has been attacked by the immune system, may have more difficulty using this treatment because their immune system may reject the new transplanted cells.
Despite all the factors that must be taken into account, Dr. Yin Hao, one of the lead researchers in this study, says: “Our technology has matured and pushed the boundaries in the field of regenerative medicine for the treatment of diabetes.”
Source : websites