Study reveals a new method for diabetes transplant reduces waiting time for patients

A new technique tested in mice by the researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland have devised a new technique that could reduce waiting times for patients suffering from type 1 diabetes, and who require cell transplant.

The cells in question here are the islet cells in the pancreas those are made up of beta cells, and are responsible for producing insulin. Insulin as it is known in common knowledge produces insulin which is the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. For those suffering from type 1 diabetes, the islet cells get destroyed, therefore making it impossible for them to produce insulin. On undergoing transplantation the islet cells on a patient with type 1 diabetes are taken from two donor pancreas, as it is not possible to take enough cells from one donor. Hence, this leaves the patient to wait for months before undergoing the actual transplant.

The research indicates that the islet cells could be created in the laboratory from the pancreatic cells of one donor. In the study, the researchers found that the islet cells which they took from the pancreas were able to reprogram them using cell cultures. Then diabetic mice on which the cells were tested began to secrete insulin and the mice showed normalised blood glucose levels.

The study was published in the journal, Diabetes.

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