More Stem Cell Discoveries for Diabetes
Stem cell research is a subject that has everyone from one end of the spectrum to the others talking and debating. What’s the good part? What’s the bad? Lawmakers are arguing the point, and have been doing so for years. Neighbors, churchgoers, parents, teachers, workers, retirees all seem to have an opinion on the subject, yet many are torn between what stem cells can do to help people and whether it is the right thing to do.
There is new information in the fight against diabetes, and the information regards stem cell research. The body’s liver and pancreas cells have recently been found to be essential in fighting diabetes and keeping insulin and blood glucose levels balanced. The problem is that in someone who has diabetes, these cells are not produced normally and therefore, cannot help the person.
What researchers and scientists have essentially done through stem cells has been to replicate the liver and pancreatic cells that can help individuals with diabetes. The stem cells used for this were not embryonic stem cells, as the mix of embryonic cells can cause tumors to form.
What researchers at the University of Edinburgh have done was to create cells that can actually renew themselves in the laboratory, which prevents them from having to continue harvesting more cells and it also keeps the consistency of the cells equal. The University of Edinburgh team claims that the cells can be injected into a person with diabetes, ending their dependence on insulin and most likely, curing them of the disease.
Dr. Josh Brickman, head of the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Stem Cell Research and MRC Center for Regenerative Medicine stated, “For the first time we have found a way to generate and purify precursors of liver and pancreatic cells by recreating the path of the cell development to a point where we could identify and purify these cells. Remarkably, they can grow in a dish, providing a renewable source for future applications in medicine.”
Further information should be released soon.











