New York, February 26, 2020: Despite so many years of medical advancements curing Diabetics remains a challenge. Kidney transplants are hardly fruitful and dialysis can’t be carried lifelong. As a result, researchers across the world are sweating hard to find an effective cure. Moving ahead to major success, scientists of Washington University School of Medicine have found a way to treat it. The technique involves curing diabetes with the help of stems cells.
The experiment
In a study, researchers figured out a new way to access pancreatic beta cells. These cells are responsible for making insulin. Thereafter, the insulin-producing cells were transplanted into mice. The mice were given severe diabetes. A substance known as streptozotocin was used to induce the disease in them. Afterward, human cells were implanted in the rodents. Miraculously, their condition improved and they rapidly recovered.
Severely diabetic
Their blood sugar readings were more than 500 milligrams per deciliter of blood. Besides, such a high level of sugar could be fatal for a person. Then the experts gave the mice the insulin-secreting cells. Within two weeks their blood glucose levels had returned to normal. Above all, it stayed that way for many months.
Involved risk
The important part of the research is the production of insulin-secreting cells. Earlier activating stem cells for treating a particular disease involved risk. It led to the production of unwanted cells. In the process of producing beta cells, other pancreatic or liver cells can form as well. As per the researchers they were not harmful but were irrelevant. Hence they reduced the effectiveness of the treatment. However, the new technique will help to get rid of this problem.
Hope for Humans
Significantly the new technique looks like it can keep cell differentiation on target. The team found that transcription factors that drive stem cells towards becoming pancreatic cells are linked to the state of the cell’s cytoskeleton. It is a support structure inside cells that acts as a kind of skeleton. Also, it is made up of microfilaments of various protein fibers. Clearly, now the scientist can mold the stem cell. For instance, if they want to cure diabetes they will convert it in pancreatic cells. As a result, they will effectively treat diabetic conditions.