Home
You can view the current or previous issues of Diabetes Health online, in their entirety, anytime you want.
Click Here To View
See if you qualify for our free healthcare professional magazines. Click here to start your application for Pre-Diabetes Health, Diabetes Health Pharmacist and Diabetes Health Professional.
Latest Articles
Popular Articles
Highly Recommended Articles
Adult Stem Cell “Memories” Could Aid in Type 1 Treatment
Stem Cell Research
Israeli researchers have found that stem cells derived from adult pancreatic cells are more efficient at making insulin-producing cells than stem cells derived from embryos. Scientists at Tel Aviv University theorize that the cells retain a "memory" of what they were before they were coaxed into becoming stem cells. That memory includes the ability to produce insulin. Because of it, the adult stem cells are better at forming insulin-making cells than their embryonic counterparts.
Stem cells, whether derived from embryos or adults, are considered "pluripotent," which means they have the ability to differentiate into many different cell types. Scientists sees them as potential building blocks for organ reconstruction.
For people who have type 1 diabetes, which results from an autoimmune attack that destroys their pancreatic beta cells, the Israeli research suggests that stem cells might someday be used to reconstruct functioning beta cells. A stem cell-based therapy would be a welcome alternative to organ transplants, which can lead to organ rejection or a lifetime of taking immune-suppressing drugs.
Because the new beta cells would come from a patient's own body, there would be less likelihood of outright rejection. However, because type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, stem cell research will have to go hand-in-hand with treatments that inhibit the autoimmune attack on beta cells.
The study was published in Cell Stem Cell, the official affiliated journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research.
Categories: , Diabetes, Diabetes, Type 1 Issues
You May Also Be Interested In...
Click Here To View Or Post Comments
0 comments -
Aug 4, 2011
-
Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
-
Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
Email to a Friend
Send a link to this page to your friends and colleagues.