Stem Cells May Stop Type 1 Diabetes

Stem Cells May Stop Type 1 Diabetes
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 J?lio C. Voltarelli, MD, PhD, of the University of SÑo 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.

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By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
Latest Diabetes News
April 10, 2007