A patient with diabetes no longer needs insulin after receiving a bioengineered 'pancreas'

In Brief

A year after receiving a new type of islet cell transplant to treat her severe diabetes, a patient continues to do well and no longer needs insulin injections to manage her disease.

A Happy Anniversary

Even the most exciting breakthrough medical treatment can be rendered obsolete by a particularly insurmountable obstacle: time. If a treatment only works temporarily, it has little chance of making a significant difference in the lives of patients, which is why the latest news from the University of Miami’s Diabetes Research Institute is so exciting.

A year after transplanting insulin-producing islet cells into the omentum of a woman with a particularly unwieldy form of type 1 diabetes, the cells continue to operate as hoped. She no longer needs to receive insulin via injections or an insulin pump and is in good health.

Fluorescence microscopy of islets in the omentum transplanted within the biologic scaffold. In red (insulin staining) and blue (DAPI nuclear staining). Fluorescence microscopy of islets in the omentum transplanted within the biologic scaffold. In red (insulin staining) and blue (DAPI nuclear staining).

By using the omentum, a fatty membrane in the belly, as the transplant site, the researchers were able to avoid complications associated with the traditionally used site, the liver. The longterm goal of the research is to identify a suitable location for a pancreas-mimicking mini-organ called the BioHub. Based on this patient’s response, the omentum is looking like it just may be the ideal spot.

A Better Life

Prior to this transplant, the patient’s entire life revolved around her diabetes. “Her quality of life was severely impacted. She had to move in with her parents. And, if she traveled, she had to travel with her father,” the study’s lead author, Dr. David Baidal, told HealthDay.

Unfortunately, she’s not alone in having diabetes control her life. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 9.3 percent of the United States population has diabetes, and 28.7 percent of those people have to inject insulin to manage their disease. If improperly treated, diabetes can lead to a range of ailments, from blindness and high blood pressure to nerve damage or even death.

This patient’s positive reaction to her islet cells transplant could be the first step to helping those millions of people live normal, healthy lives free from the burden of constantly managing their disease. “We’re exploring a way to optimize islet cell therapy to a larger population,” said Baidal. “This study gives us hope for a different transplant approach.”

References:
HealthDay

REGISTER NOW

By Kristin Houser / Writer/Editor and Content Manager

From brainstorming story ideas to proofreading final copy, I am passionate about each step in the writing process, and for more than a decade, I have channeled that passion into creating (and helping others create) stellar content.

In addition to my position as an associate editor for Futurism, a science and technology publication that is currently read by over 30 million people monthly, I have contributed dozens of articles to iQ By Intel and am the managing editor of my own content-rich music website catering to the Los Angeles market.

When I'm not writing articles in Word or WordPress for those sites, you can find me tweaking dialogue in Final Draft, which I've used to write scripts for several produced web series and commercials, both animated and live action.

While the majority of my writing experience has been geared toward technology, entertainment, and education, I am always interested in opportunities to explore new arenas, so if you're looking for someone to contribute at any stage of the writing process, I'd love to hear from you.

SPECIALTIES: editing, writing, blogging, proofreading, copyediting, content writing, content management, budgeting, scheduling, script writing, writing for animation, music reviews, technology, interviewing, internet research.

(Source: futurism.com; May 16, 2017; http://tinyurl.com/kab4pst)
Back to INF

Loading please wait...