Stem cell therapy shows promise against diabetes

A new medical technique that combines stem cell transplantation with antidiabetic medication has been used to successfully treat Type 2 diabetes in mice, and may have broad implications for people too. 

In an article on the new approach, published in the journal Stem Cell Reports, University of British Columbia researchers say they hope to conduct federally approved clinical trials that would allow the technique first ever stem cell-based insulin replacement therapy for diabetics, Medical News Today reports. 

"Success in these clinical trials could pave the way for testing in patients with Type 2 diabetes,” said lead researcher Timothy Kieffer. “Our hope is that a stem cell-based approach to insulin replacement will ultimately improve glucose control in patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, resulting in healthier, longer lives."

More than 29 million Americans have diabetes, which occurs as a result of the body being unable to produce enough of the hormone insulin or use it effectively.  

Diabetics are often treated with oral medication — such as metformin — insulin injections, or a combination of both. Such treatments can cause gastrointestinal problems, weight gain, and low blood glucose levels, however, and some patients may not even respond to them. 

The new technique involved implanting diabetic mice cells derived from human embryonic stem cells that become fully-functioning beta cells, like those produced in the pancreas that generate insulin.

The implants caused the mice to experience better glucose metabolism and an improvement in responsiveness to insulin, the researchers found. 

What is more, mice that received stem cell transplantation in combination with antidiabetic medication experienced rapid weight loss, and greater improvements in glucose metabolism.

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