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Airencracken
04-19-2005, 11:46 AM
Well sort of...

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/2482.html


Woman loses diabetes through islet cell transplant

A woman’s Type 1 diabetes was reversed when Japanese scientists transplanted insulin-producing cells, called islets in medical jargon, into her from her mother’s pancreas. The findings of the experiment have been published in The Lancet.

The donor, a 56-year-old woman with a compatible blood type and healthy insulin and glucose levels, provided islet cells to her 27-year-old daughter, who had been suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus for the last 12 years. The patient required daily insulin injections to elevate her blood sugar levels.

In Japan on January 19 this year, Kyoto University Hospital’s Shinichi Matsumoto and his team isolated islet cells from the 56-year-old woman and planted them into her daughter’s liver. The patient’s blood glucose levels were watched on a regular basis and she was subsequently taken off insulin. In about 22 days after the operation, the diabetes victim became insulin-independent and has so far remained that way. No complications have been seen in both the donor and the recipient and doctors are hopeful that the islet cell transplant would last up to five years.

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Wow. Awesome.

Showtime
04-19-2005, 11:51 AM
Cant wait to tell Dad. Thanks!

-j

MrGreg
04-19-2005, 12:11 PM
If this proves to be a usable treatment, that will be great.


The patient required daily insulin injections to elevate her blood sugar levels.

Doesn't insulin lower blood sugar levels???

I wonder if this would also be helpful for type 2 diabetes, which is, I think, a much bigger problem in the US.

welfareloser
04-19-2005, 12:12 PM
wow. that'll help... what? is it 10% of diabetes is type i? unfortunately, the epidemic of type-ii diabetes still requires more drastic measures... healthful foods and exercise :eek:

that is awesome, tho. if it really does last 5 years, that'll be HUGE.

bachviet
04-19-2005, 02:43 PM
That's really cool. :thumbup:

welfareloser
04-19-2005, 02:49 PM
I wonder if this would also be helpful for type 2 diabetes, which is, I think, a much bigger problem in the US.

it won't help. in type ii, the cells are fine, but the body develops a resistance to insulin (that's the simplified version, anyhoo.)

ironchef
04-19-2005, 04:26 PM
Doesn't insulin lower blood sugar levels???
Yeah, I think they may have been shooting for "regulate" instead.

Great story though. I've been on a pump since about '99 and I love it, but I'd definitely jump at the chance to not be attached to a little box 24 hours a day. I wonder how invasive and serious a surgery like this is, since it sounds like it'd have to be repeated with some regularity.

InfiniteNothing
04-19-2005, 04:48 PM
it won't help. in type ii, the cells are fine, but the body develops a resistance to insulin (that's the simplified version, anyhoo.)
It may keep type 2 people from having to shoot up so much.

welfareloser
04-19-2005, 04:52 PM
It may keep type 2 people from having to shoot up so much.

only if you drastically increased the number of cells... basically, if you made the organ bigger and bigger. doesn't sound feasible to me.

molecularfire
04-19-2005, 05:24 PM
There already is a cure for most cases of Type II diabetes... it's called a healthy diet and exercise.

MrGreg
04-19-2005, 05:42 PM
which is why it is becoming such a problem here