Stem Cells May Stop Type 1 Diabetes

[JLMACN]

Blood Stem Cell Transplant Leaves Diabetes Patients Insulin Free -- So Far

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Medical NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDApril 10, 2007 -- After transplants of their own blood stem cells, 14 of 15 type 1 diabetes patients are insulin free for one to 36 months -- and counting.

In type 1 diabetes, the body can't make the insulin it needs, and so insulin injections are necessary for treatment. After their transplants, most of the patients in the study became free from insulin injections.

It's the first time the treatment has been used in type 1 diabetes, although it's helped patients with other autoimmune diseases. The early success is encouraging -- but nobody is using the word "cure."

It's not yet clear exactly how the stem cell treatment works, or even whether it truly works at all. And it's far from clear how long treated patients will remain insulin free.

"Very encouraging results were obtained in a small number of patients with early onset disease," conclude researchers Júlio C. Voltarelli, MD, PhD, of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and colleagues.

The researchers warn that longer follow-up of trial patients, further biological studies, and, finally, a clinical trial will be needed to confirm that the treatment works. Their report appears in the April 11 issue of TheJournal of the American Medical Association.

Early Results, Enormous Promise

In type 1 diabetes, haywire immune cells attack the insulin-making beta cells in the pancreas. This means people with type 1 diabetes can't make the insulin they need and require the use of supplemental insulin. The goal of the treatment is to get rid of these bad immune cells and to replace them with immature cells that have not yet learned bad habits -- thus stopping beta-cell damage and restoring proper immune function.

The treatment is called autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. It's a four-step process:

Soon after diagnosis of type 1 diabetes -- while a person still has plenty of beta cells left -- the patient is given drugs that stimulate production of blood stem cells.
The blood stem cells are removed from the patient's body and frozen for later use.
The patient is given drugs and antibodies that kill off immune cells, leaving other blood cells intact.
The blood stem cells are reinfused into the patient.
The treatment didn't work in the first patient, probably because he had too few beta cells when he started.

But the next 14 carefully selected patients did much better. All were treated soon after diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. All eventually stopped needing insulin -- for one to 35 months.

In an editorial accompanying the study, University of Miami diabetes researcher Jay S. Skyler, MD, warns against "false hope based on the preliminary nature of the study results."

Skyler warns that much work remains to be done:

The study did not include a control group. This makes it impossible to know what would have happened if similar patients had received no treatment -- an important factor, given that soon after diagnosis, many type 1 diabetes patients enter a "honeymoon" period of remission.
It's simply too soon to know how well the treatment worked, or whether patients eventually will do better than untreated patients.
It's not at all clear whether the treatment works because it stops beta cell destruction or whether it allows beta cells to regenerate.
Skyler also notes that this treatment isn't the only cellular treatment now being developed for type 1 diabetes. Other treatments include infusions of regulatory cells to reorient autoimmune cells, umbilical cord cells, embryonic or adult stem cells, and bone marrow transplant.

"As these further studies confirm and build on the results of Voltarelli and colleagues -- the time may indeed be coming for starting to reverse and prevent type 1 diabetes mellitus," Skyler suggests.

SOURCES: Voltarelli, J.C. TheJournal of the American Medical Association, April 11, 2007; vol 297: pp 1568-1576. Skyler, J.S. TheJournal of the American Medical Association, April 11, 2007; vol 297: pp 1599-1600

I saw this on the news last week and wanted to post it here. I know most conservatives dislike Stem Cell research because of various 'moral' reasons, but this is one of the many GREAT things that can come out of this type of research. Maybe oneday we will solve the Diabetes problem.


5000

 

[I AM]

A lot of diabetes comes from shitty eating habits. I realize some people cannot control it, however, I've read some stuff about it, and from what I saw, a lot of the problems start early on with eating shitty food, like really fatty food, sugary food, all the shit you are "not supposed" to eat, but is there anyway.

I hope more research goes into actually helping people, rather than some stupid shit that Bush's religious crazy ass wants.

We need stem cell research and all these religious fucks are freaking out. They should shut the fuck up and move into a cave and die then, either that or they need to stop taking advil or ibuprofen, and all the other "modern" shit they use that they don't realize is the exact same as what they "hate."

 

[ThaG]

I think it is not religion that is behind all that, the religious fucks are certainly the most outspoken critics, but I think the government is blocking stem cell research more because of Big Pharma interests

If you think about it, if we have working stem cell and molecular therapies, traditional small molecules drugs will be mostly dead and big pharma will die too

 

[JLMACN]

^^but your typical 'moral based' christian does not think that way...

thats what im saying Tha G.

but I see your point..

5000

 

[I AM]

that's cause the typical christian is a propaganda eating dip shit who doesn't think about this type of stuff in the first place....they believe whatever the government or their pastor tells them.

 

[ThaG]

^^but your typical 'moral based' christian does not think that way...

thats what im saying Tha G.

but I see your point..

5000

Yes, and the typical christian is as much to blame as the governement because

1. the typical christian really believes it's a sin to kill a embryo so he's guilty of being stupid and ignorant

2. without the typical christian the crime against science (and humanity) that blocking stem cell research is would have not been justified

 

[2-0-NINE]

that's cause the typical christian is a propaganda eating dip shit who doesn't think about this type of stuff in the first place....they believe whatever the government or their pastor tells them.

SMH, don't even know why I posted this, because if anything you said about the "typical christian" were true, I wouldn't agree with what 206 would say, or what JLMACN would say, or what RedStorm, enserio would say. WTF?! *SMH*

 

[JLMACN]

Yes, and the typical christian is as much to blame as the governement because

1. the typical christian really believes it's a sin to kill a embryo so he's guilty of being stupid and ignorant

2. without the typical christian the crime against science (and humanity) that blocking stem cell research is would have not been justified

I know...

you should have seen my moms face when I told her about this research they have been doing...

it was great!

haha..

5000

 

[I AM]

SMH, don't even know why I posted this, because if anything you said about the "typical christian" were true, I wouldn't agree with what 206 would say, or what JLMACN would say, or what RedStorm, enserio would say. WTF?! *SMH*

The Average person is like that too. Don't get all butt hurt because I'm talking about your pussy ass religion.

You may not be the typical Christian, even if you consider yourself that, so what's your deal? Do you have to defend Christianity any time someone says something about it?

If you haven't realized by now 95% of people in the world are SHEEP. It's not just Christians, but they happened to be the topic of discussion, so I went with it. You need to go smoke a bowl and chill out.

 

[2-0-NINE]

I've been in the GOM enough to learn the approach HERESY and MEXCOM take when they see this kind of bashing. So, time for me to take my anti-zeal medicine now.

 

[|GOD|||ZILLA|]

typical christian is them dudes in borat.

 

[I AM]

time for me to take my anti-zeal medicine now.

Like I said, smoke a bowl.

And when it comes to the point that you can no longer discuss things like this, it shows a lot about your character. That's just my opinion though.