A small group of patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes received transplants of their own stem cells and then needed less insulin, or none at all, to control their blood glucose levels, in a study. People with type 1 normally must take insulin by injection because their malfunctioning immune system has destroyed the beta cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone. The study’s goal was to reset the immune system, stopping the destruction of beta cells and allowing insulin-producing cells to grow again. First, immune system stem cells were extracted from participants’ blood. Then patients were treated with chemotherapy to kill off all immune cells, including the hostile ones. Finally, the stem cells were put back into their bodies. Initial results, reported in 2007, were promising but inconclusive. Now researchers have confirmed that the stem cell recipients indeed improved their insulin levels. Twelve of the 23 patients treated have needed no insulin injections (for as long as four years), and eight others were able to significantly reduce their insulin use. Side effects included two cases of pneumonia and low sperm counts in nine men. It is the first instance of a stem cell treatment reversing the course of type 1 diabetes, at least for a time.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, April 15, 2009