Stem Cell Therapy for Type I Diabetes

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Stem Cell Therapy for Type I Diabetes
Rashi Venkataraman, Science Journalist
Biology and Ethics, History, & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
Journal of Young Investigators

25 July 2007 - Approximately one in every 400 children suffers from Type 1 Diabetes . However, a team of scientists from the University of Florida recently discovered that blood from the umbilical cord might contain stem cells that can help defeat this debilitating disease.

Type 1 Diabetes is a condition where the body’s immune system attacks the pancreatic tissues, rendering them unable to synthesize insulin (a hormone that helps cells take in glucose). As a result, patients suffer from high blood sugar and a slew of other symptoms. One promising way to treat diabetes is to replenish or copy the damaged pancreatic tissue, and it is for this reason that Dr. Michael Haller and his team from the University of Florida’s College of Medicine looked to study the use of umbilical cord stem cells in diabetes. As Dr. Haller says, this could potentially “change the course of the natural history of the disease.”

Dr. Haller’s team attempted to tamper with the stem cells from cord blood so that they would produce insulin. However, finding children that were recently diagnosed was essential to the experiment, because their insulin needs were still minimal. Researchers then prepared 2-7 intravenous infusions of stem cells isolated from the patient’s umbilical cord blood (which had been banked at birth). After delivering the infusions to the diagnosed children, evaluations were conducted over two years to assess blood sugar levels and cell function.

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