‘Curing’ type 1 diabetes could be as simple as an injection in the arm, scientists claim
A STEM cell injection in the arm could treat type 1 diabetes, say scientists.
Cells capable of producing insulin would be planted under the skin to replace the function of the pancreas, which cannot make the hormone in diabetics.
Being unable to make insulin means most people with type 1 rely on constant blood testing and injections to control their sugar levels.
The illness affects more than 400,000 Brits, including former prime minister Theresa May and Happy Valley star James Norton.
The futuristic transplant could replace traditional therapy and allow patients to largely forget about their illness.
A trial on eight people has yielded “encouraging” results and larger studies are now being done to prove it is safe and effective.
Dr Matthias Hebrok, from the Technical University of Munich, wants to grow the cells in the lab and edit their genes to stop the immune system rejecting them.
Pancreas organ transplants are available on the NHS but only around 200 patients per year receive them.
The surgery is risky and requires long-term medication to prevent organ rejection.
Insulin-producing cells may also be injected into the liver in small numbers of patients, but insulin jabs are often still needed alongside immune suppressing drugs.
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Dr Hebrok, whose company Minutia is developing the stem cell technology, said: “I think the stem cell-derived cells are a revolution.
“We're at the very early stages now but we could generate as many cells as we would like and treat a tremendous number of patients.”
Clusters of the cells, called islets, could be programmed to produce insulin then surgically implanted just under the skin of the forearm in a quick and easy procedure.
A tiny sensor would be inserted to track whether the cells are working.
Dr Katy Digovich, co-founder of Minutia and a type 1 diabetic, said: “We're going to do everything in our power to make this work but it is hard.
“I’m trying to create the type of transplant I want in my own body.
“People have been doing this with varying degrees of success since the 90s, but a big challenge is the issue of supply.
“If you make the cells in a lab you can, in theory, make as many as you need.”
Scientists from the Technical University of Munich revealed their work at the conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Denver.
What are the symptoms of type 1 diabetes?
See a GP if you have symptoms of type 1 diabetes, including:
- feeling very thirsty
- peeing more than usual, particularly at night
- feeling very tired
- losing weight without trying
- thrush that keeps coming back
- blurred vision
- cuts and grazes that are not healing
- fruity-smelling breath
Type 1 diabetes symptoms can come on quickly, particularly in children.
Source: The NHS