It is no secret that scientists have been experimenting with stem cell therapy to advance the medical field. Why? Because it’s working. Chinese scientists have utilized stem cells to create a treatment that has the potential to cure diabetes.
Biologist Deng Hongkui and his team at Peking University implanted a woman’s own cells into her and programmed the implanted cells to be blood sugar-regulating cell clusters. After a couple of months, the woman was able to produce her own insulin and effectively treat her type 1 diabetes (Smithsonian).
This is a big deal because it provides a much more effective solution than other treatments. Pancreatic transplants have been an effective way for people to treat their diabetes, but there aren’t enough pancreases to go on. Furthermore, the transplanted organ may be rejected. Using stem cells may soon be the best way to treat diabetes and previously incurable diseases. But why is that?
Stem cells are a special type of cell. This is because they have the ability to create cells like themselves and undergo a type of process called differentiation. This process means that they are able to become different cells that can do various things. Stem cell research is so highly valued because these cells can be transformed into becoming cells that can cause a recovery process in the human body. Interestingly enough, they also have the potential to serve as a way to test new medicine (Mayo Clinic).
In 2021, stem cell therapy was also used by Chinese researchers on a 59-year-old man with Type 2 diabetes. Just like the woman from the Peking University case, he no longer needed insulin and has been medication-free (Diabetes).
This research has the potential to alleviate a lot of health crises – not just diabetes, but other similar diseases as well. It is a medical breakthrough and will have a worldwide impact not just on the medical industry, but across the world. Considering China has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world, success in this research spells promising results for the future.
