Diabetes Cure 2017: Scientists May Have Found Treatment for Type-1 Condition
About one out of 11 people in the United States have diabetes, a chronic condition that affects the body's use of food. Researchers, however, have great news for those suffering from one of its common forms: type-1 diabetes.
About 29.1 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, according to 2014 figures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among these cases, those with type-1 diabetes have no way of preventing the onset, or the effects, of the body's inability to produce insulin.
Researchers from ViaCyte, a company based in San Diego, California, have good news about their progress in treating type-1 diabetes. The company has announced that their new stem-cell-based treatment has progressed to human trials, which will hopefully provide a working remedy for those suffering from the disorder.
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ViaCyte's approach includes inducing stem cells to develop into pancreatic insulin cells that can provide insulin to their host. While research on this area has been ongoing for some time, the company's new PEC-Direct implant is a novel way of ensuring that the stem cells can mature inside the body themselves.
Earlier clinical trials have already demonstrated that stem cells can fully grow into the pancreatic islet cells crucial to producing insulin. With this new trial supported by JDRF, ViaCyte hopes that the PEC-Direct implants placed within two patients are enough for sustained insulin production.
While this treatment does not directly address the underlying problem that causes type-1 diabetes, this approach is what Paul Laikind, President of ViaCyte, describes as a "functional cure" for insulin-dependent diabetes.
The treatment has its drawbacks, including the use of immune system suppressants to maintain the implanted cells. However, the benefits could outweigh the risks, given that "there are limited treatment options for patients with high-risk type 1 diabetes to manage life-threatening hypoglycemic episodes," as Laikind said in the company announcement.
