|
Hopefully, there may oneday be a cure for diabetes. According to an article by Anita Manning, writing for USA today (August 2006), a company known as Microislet has conducted what appears to be successful research involving transplanted cells. Into seven rhesus monkeys that no longer possessed the ability to manufacture their own insulin were transplanted pancreatic islets ("clusters of endocrine cells that contain the cells that produce insulin") from pigs. The result? A positive one. The rhesus monkeys ended up requiring only half as much insulin as before. That's not exactly a cure for diabetes; however, it may point the way toward a cure. What seems to be one of the high points of this study is that, reportedly, there was no rejection of the transplanted material. Eliminating the risk of tissue rejection, of course, would also eliminate the need for immune-suppressing drugs that put patients at risk in a different way. According to the article, the company is continuing research in the hope of eventually conducting human trials. |
