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Hope For The Future – Diabetes Research

As diabetes research continues, scientists have looked at various options ranging from the transplantation of islet cells to cure type 1 (juvenile) diabetes to stem-cell research. This article takes a brief look at current diabetes research of interest to diabetes sufferers.

The Pancreas – An Overview

To understand diabetes, one must first have a basic understanding of the anatomy and functions of the cells involved, starting with the pancreas. The pancreas is a part of the endocrine system, which is basically defined as a system of glands that release hormones as chemical messengers that regulate the body’s various functions.

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In the case of the pancreas, the organ contains clusters of cells known as the islets of Langerhans that secrete either glucogon or insulin. The alpha cells produce the hormone glucagon, which tells other cells in the body that glucose needs to be released into to blood to raise the blood sugar level. It is the beta cells which produce insulin, the hormone that tells other cells to absorb excess glucose from the blood when levels are too high.

Research And Treatments

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Diabetes is basically a disease in which the body can no longer regulate its blood sugar level due to the inability to produce sufficient amounts of insulin. In juvenile diabetes, the beta cells are completely destroyed by the body in an autoimmune attack. One approach taken by scientists and doctors involved in diabetes research is the actual transplantation of cadaver beta cells into a type 1 diabetes sufferer.

There have been short-term success in this area, but the long-term outcome seems poor for most patients at the moment. The majority of transplants appear to fail and according to a 2006 study, it seems that only 14% of patients remained free of the need for continued insulin injections. There have also been pancreatic transplants in which the entire organ is used.

However, the fact remains that with foreign tissue in the body, the patient must take anti-rejection medications for the rest of their lives. It’s basically a trade-off that replaces shots with pills, and anti-rejection medications can lead to a host of other problems, including weight-gain.

Another more promising approach to diabetes research is stem-cell transplantation. Stem cells are undifferentiated embryonic cells that can basically develop into any other cell in the body under the right conditions. Scientists and doctors may eventually be able to successfully stimulate stem cells to grow into beta cells that will be accepted by the body without need for anti-rejection medications.

Research unrelated to diabetes has proven (at least in the lab) that it’s possible to make functioning heart cells and nerve cells already. There have even been stem-cell transplants to treat spinal injuries, not in the United States due to tight regulations, but in foreign countries that have shown promise. In summary, there is hope for the future, and continued diabetes research may one day lead to a cure.

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