[IPk] Are we getting there?
An article from one of my informants. I post it for your information.
Regards
John Davis
Transplant cures man of diabetes
A 61-year-old man has become the first person in the UK to be cured of type
1 diabetes thanks to a groundbreaking cell transplant technique.
After receiving insulin-making cells from the pancreases of dead donors,
Richard Lane of Bromley, Kent, no longer needs insulin injections.
The King's College Hospital team said the breakthrough was hugely exciting
for people with type 1 diabetes.
But the technique is not perfect. Many patients still require top-up
insulin.
It is almost like being a totally different person
Richard Lane
Transplant recipient
Mr Lane, who has had diabetes for over 30 years, had his first islet
transplant in September, followed by a second transplant a month later and
the third at the end of January.
He told the Guardian newspaper: "I haven't felt better in myself for 30
years. I have to pinch myself to ensure I am not dreaming."
Mr Lane said he used to suffer attacks of low blood sugar which could lead
to unconsciousness.
"My wife used to dread me going out of the front door in case there was a
call from the ambulance service. I am now doing half an hour's brisk walk
every day, and I have lost a stone-and-a-half in six months," he said.
"It is almost like being a totally different person."
Two other UK patients who have been treated with the procedure still need
small doses of insulin.
The implications for the future are enormous
Lead researcher at King's Professor Stephanie Amiel
Canadian researchers were the first to demonstrate that people with type 1
diabetes could remain free of insulin injections after the treatment was
complete.
People with diabetes cannot convert blood sugar into energy because the
hormone insulin which enables this to take place is either not produced by
islet cells in the pancreas or does not work properly.
For the transplant, healthy islet cells are taken from donor pancreases and
injected into the patient's liver.
Once there, they develop their own blood supply and begin to produce
insulin.
Short supply
Professor Stephanie Amiel, who leads the diabetes team at King's College
Hospital, said: "The implications for the future are enormous.
We hope it will become more widely available in the future
Jo Brodie of Diabetes UK
"Eventually this could mean the end of insulin dependence for all type 1
diabetes sufferers."
But she said there was a shortage of donor pancreases from which to extract
islet cells, which means they could not treat everyone with type 1 diabetes.
In the UK, 250,000 people have type 1 diabetes, also known as
insulin-dependent diabetes. The condition usually appears before the age of
40.
Japanese researchers recently said they successfully transplanted islet
cells from a living donor.
Scientists have also been looking at ways to make more of the cells required
using stem cells.
Jo Brodie of Diabetes UK said: "The success of islet transplants is a major
breakthrough in improving the lives of people with diabetes.
"Diabetes UK is now funding the work which we hope will turn this
breakthrough into a cure for all people with the condition.
"The transplant work is moving forward all the time and we hope it will
become more widely available in the future."
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