28 May 2024 , 16:09
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Chinese scientists have reportedly discovered a 'cure' for diabetes, a disease that affects over four million people in the UK.
Diabetes is a severe condition that results in excessively high blood sugar levels. The World Health Organisation ranks it as the ninth leading cause of death globally. There are two forms of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. The exact cause of type 1 remains unknown, while type 2 is often associated with obesity or lack of physical activity.
While there are ways to manage or even put diabetes into remission, no known cure exists - until now, that is. According to a report in the Cell Discovery journal, Chinese researchers claim to have cured diabetes for the first time using cell transplantation, reports the Express.
The patient, a 59-year-old man, underwent the groundbreaking transplant in 2021 and has been medication-free since 2022. As part of the treatment, scientists engineered an artificial version of cells found in the pancreas that produce insulin and regulate blood sugar levels.
The patient had been living with type 2 diabetes for 25 years and had almost completely lost the function of these cells, known as islets, according to the report. Medical professionals had also identified him as being at high risk for lethal complications, requiring multiple daily insulin injections to prevent a diabetic coma.
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Before this innovation, the sole natural means to regulate blood sugar levels involved a drastic lifestyle change - often needing a stringent diet and exercise regime. However, through this technique, researchers aptly turned stem cells - referred to as a "blank slate" cell - into pancreas cells.
These specialised cells are responsible for insulin production, which instructs our body when to utilise sugar from our food as energy. People suffering from diabetes have a pancreas that fails to produce enough insulin needed for blood sugar regulation, which can lead to problems such as nerve damage, kidney damage, heart disease among others.
The study revealed that the insertion of these new, lab-crafted pancreas cells enabled the individual to once again manufacture their own insulin. This breakthrough was the culmination of years of collective research worldwide, geared towards determining how best to convert stem cells into islet cells, and how best to incorporate these cells into the body.
As cited by the South China Morning Post, lead researcher, Dr Yin Hao stated: "Our technology has matured and it has pushed boundaries in the field of regenerative medicine for the treatment of diabetes."
Nonetheless, there's a possibility that this particular method may only be effective in patients with type 2 diabetes. This is due to chances that the immune system in type 1 diabetes patients might reject the newly implanted cells. Plans have been made to test the therapy on more patients in future.
The study was a joint effort between three Shanghai-based institutions - the Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, the Centre for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Renji Hospital.