A team of scientists in China has made significant strides in diabetes treatment, successfully eliminating type 2 diabetes in a patient through innovative cell therapy. This historic breakthrough comes after a decade of research and involves a 59-year-old individual who had been living with diabetes for 25 years.
The findings, published in Cell Discovery, mark what is believed to be the world’s first successful application of stem cell-derived islet transplantation to treat diabetes. Researchers from Shanghai Changzheng Hospital noted that type 2 diabetes (T2D) typically begins with insulin resistance and can progress to a gradual loss of islet function, often leading to dependence on insulin treatment for over 30% of patients. They pointed out that cadaveric islet transplantation is an effective approach for those with insulin-dependent diabetes.
In July 2021, the researchers utilized the patient’s own blood cells to generate stem cells, which were then transformed into pancreatic islet cells. Remarkably, this transplant eliminated the patient’s need for external insulin within 11 weeks, and over the course of the following year, oral medications were gradually reduced and ultimately discontinued.
Understanding Islet Cells and Their Role in Diabetes
Islet cells, found in the pancreas within clusters known as the islets of Langerhans, are vital for regulating blood sugar levels and play a key role in diabetes management.
These specialized pancreatic cells consist of various types that work together to maintain sugar balance in the body. The most critical among them are beta cells, which produce insulin. Insulin acts as a key, allowing cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, a crucial process for providing energy to cells.
In diabetes, the function of islet cells is disrupted. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system erroneously targets and destroys beta cells, resulting in insufficient insulin production. Consequently, glucose accumulates in the bloodstream, leading to dangerously high blood sugar levels and potential health complications.
Conversely, type 2 diabetes usually stems from insulin resistance, where the body’s cells become less responsive to insulin. To compensate, the pancreas may overproduce insulin, ultimately exhausting beta cells and diminishing insulin output.
Other islet cells also play essential roles: alpha cells produce glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar levels when necessary, while delta cells release somatostatin, which helps regulate the release of insulin and glucagon to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
This recent advancement in islet transplantation offers new hope for those living with diabetes.
