TheNational Billions of human insulin cells created from embryonic stem cells: a major breakthrough for Type 1 diabetes

Billions of human insulin cells created from embryonic stem cells: a major breakthrough for Type 1 diabetes

Nov 01, 2014 Ruchira Dhoke News 0

Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialized cell types such as skin, muscle and bone.

A study carried out by the Harvard stem cell researchers describe how they successfully created billions of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells from embryonic stem cells .They transplanted these stem cell-derived beta cells into the kidney of a diabetic mouse that, 2 weeks later, showed no signs of the disease.

The study is a major breakthrough in the field of regenerative medicine and also for patients with type 1 diabetes who require daily injections of insulin as they are incapable of producing their own.

Douglas Melton, co-chairperson, department of stem cell research and regenerative biology at Harvard University in Cambridge, said that “We are now just one preclinical step away from the finish line” .By the preclinical step , he meant that a secure way to stop the immune system from destroying the newly formed beta cells.

Aim to protect the beta cells

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease whereby the body destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and without insulin, the body cannot control glucose, leading to high levels of blood sugar that eventually damage tissues and organs.

For this new technique to work in people with type 1 diabetes, the researchers still need to add another component that stops the recipient’s immune system from attacking the 150 million or so beta cells they would receive.

The team is collaborating with colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop an implant that protects the stem cell-derived beta cells from such a kind of immune attack.

Stem cell-derived cells have all the attributes of fully functioning, mature beta cells

Earlier, other research teams have had generated beta cells from stem cells but those cells lacked the features of fully functioning, mature beta cells. However, the current development by Prof. Melton and his colleagues suggest that their stem cell differentiation method can generate hundreds of millions of glucose-responsive beta cells that have all the hallmarks of mature beta cells. For example, they:

Express markers found in mature beta cells
Produce a calcium ion (Ca2+) response to glucose
Package insulin into secretory granules
Secrete quantities of insulin comparable to adult beta cells in response to various glucose challenges.

The researchers are now testing the stem cell-derived beta cells in animal models, including non-human primates.

beta-pancreatic cells, diabetes type 1, embryonic stem cells, insulin, stem cells

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Ruchira Dhoke

A qualified medical microbiologist with an avidity to read enchant a deep passion for creating a good impacting masterpiece with my words .I am very fond of good old English literature and like listening to music and paint in my free time.