Curing Diabetes, one stem cell at a time!

I've blogged about the power of stem cells before, most recently regarding their use as a potential treatment for cancer. I cannot overestimate the utility of these cells; just think, these guys can transform into any cell in the human body. That's a pretty crazy thought. Lack a particular organ or gland? We can make that for you!

Figure 1: These human stem cells were plated using a printer. Credit: Dr Will Shu / Biofabrication

As you can imagine, the therapeutic potential for research in stem cell biology is massive. I would not be surprised if the routine use of stem cells in the clinic becomes as common as an antibiotic prescription.

Case and point: Some very brilliant (and creative) researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, led by Dr. Douglas Melton were able to cure type 1 diabetes in rats using insulin-producing cells that were created from stem cells. Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the beta cells in your pancreas, the cells that make insulin, are attacked your body's immune system. Insulin is a hormone that allows your cells to control the level of glucose in the blood, so those who suffer from diabetes have volatile blood sugar levels.

This is a massive step forward in the field, as the majority of current diabetes interventions involve patients monitoring and injecting extra insulin when necessary. Some excellent automated devices have been made to this effect, they clearly lack the advantage of using insulin produced natively in the body. Were this therapy to move into people, suffers from type 1 would no longer have to rely on any sort of injection system to deliver their insulin. Very exciting news!

As with all things, remember to take this research with a grain of salt. I don't want to sound like a debbie downer, but the jump from treating animals to people can be quite tricky. For example, researchers still need a way to ensure that any implanted cells remain unharmed by your immune system. Another challenge is the origin of the cells: the cells used in this study were derived from embryos, which remains a controversial source. Melton and his colleagues are investigating ways to generate beta cells from induced pluripotent stem cells, which is a way to make stem cells without relying on an existing embryo.

All in all, I think this story represents a win for a science and a huge leap forward for patients everywhere!