Stem cells could provide a solution to diabetes

Stem cells could provide a solution to diabetes
Posted on October 22nd, 2006
by Ishan Wadi
Read 716 times.

News published in the Nature Biotechnology journal, suggests that researchers are close to developing an effective treatment for diabetes, using stem cells. Researchers at Novocell, a company in the field of stem-cell engineering, have announced that stem cells from embryos could be used to repair insulin-producing tissues in the body affected by diabetes, as they have the ability to divide and differentiate in to many other types of cells.

Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease, which causes numerous complications including cardiovascular illnesses and it can turn fatal if left untreated. Nearly two million people suffer from diabetes in United States and more than 200,000 of them die each year from the complications triggered by this disease. Diabetes is a global health issue and scientists around the world are working to find an effective solution or treatment to this disease. However, diabetes can be managed easily through lifestyle modifications such as achieving or maintaining proper weight, diet, exercise and foot care.

Emmanuel Baetge, the chief scientific officer at Novocell, said that the efficient production of human embryonic cells, which can develop in to insulin producing endocrine cells through a process that is similar to the development of human pancreatic cells, is a remarkable achievement in the treatment of diabetes, as such stem cells can serve as a renewable source of cells for diabetes therapy.