“There will be a cure within 10 years!”
Sound familiar? As diabetics, we’ve all heard similar comments. Maybe a doctor or nurse assured you at diagnosis that daily injections, insulin pumps, and finger sticks would soon be a distant memory. Or perhaps a well-meaning neighbor excitedly mentioned a YouTube video claiming cinnamon cures diabetes. But, as the years pass by, while technology has significantly improved, a widely available cure for diabetes remains elusive.
But that might soon change! A 25-year-old Chinese woman recently received a treatment that appears to have effectively cured her type 1 diabetes. This exciting development brings us closer to a cure that benefits millions of type 1 diabetics worldwide.
Fake News?
It’s understandable if you’re skeptical. Promising headlines about diabetes cures have come and gone, often failing to deliver solutions that are both effective and accessible to the majority of diabetics. There are numerous reasons why most “diabetes cures” don’t work for the average patient. Some so-called cures aren’t backed by scientific evidence and simply don’t work—think cinnamon, restrictive diets, or other questionable remedies shared on social media.
Whats the catch?
Other potential cures require ongoing reliance on medication or technology. For instance, pancreas transplants can eliminate insulin dependency, but they involve risky surgeries, lifelong anti-rejection medication, and the possibility of organ rejection. The “bionic pancreas” – an insulin pump that automatically doses insulin without input from the user – has also been presented as a type of technological “cure.” While it simplifies diabetes management and could help type 1 diabetics to maintain their blood sugar levels in a normal range, it still requires wearing a device and purchasing insulin. Since these options all require ongoing treatment, medications, and even insulin therapy, they can’t be considered a real, effective cure.
Affordability
Another key to developing a cure that benefits most diabetics is affordability. Type 1 diabetes affects people of diverse ages, backgrounds, and countries. A viable cure needs to be reasonably priced to reach everyone.
Could the treatment used to cure this woman in China become an effective, affordable, and accessible cure for type 1 diabetics worldwide? There’s hope! Let’s explore how she was cured and why this approach might surpass previous attempts.
The study, conducted by Nankai University and Peking University in China, involved a 25-year-old woman who had previously undergone two liver transplants and a failed pancreas transplant. Researchers employed stem-cell therapy using the patient’s own cells, reducing the risk of transplant rejection.
Fat cells were extracted from the patient and chemically induced to behave as pluripotent cells, capable of developing into any cell type. These were used to create insulin-producing islet cells and then implanted into the patient’s abdomen between the skin and muscle. The cells engrafted and vascularized in the patient, and were monitored through MRI and ultrasound imaging.
About two and a half months later, the patient no longer required insulin injections. Four months post-procedure, she was producing enough insulin to stay within her target glycemic range 96.2% of the time. A year after treatment, she remained insulin-free and is considered cured of type 1 diabetes.
The trial is ongoing and includes two other patients whose results haven’t been reported yet, as they were enrolled later in the study. Further trials with more participants are needed to confirm safety and efficacy before the treatment can be made widely available.
The medical community has responded positively to the results. Professor James Shapiro said in a statement to Medical News Today, “The beauty of this approach is that they are the patients’ own cells – so organ and tissue rejection is not a concern, and no or far less anti rejection medications are needed. But I am indeed exceedingly impressed with the stunning results the Tianjin Team achieved in their first patient. This is truly incredible.”
While it may take time before this cure becomes widely available, several factors make it promising. First, the therapy uses the patient’s own cells, eliminating the need for donor organs or stem cells, which are expensive and scarce. Additionally, the procedure is far less invasive and dangerous than a pancreas transplant, reducing risks for patients.
The cost and accessibility of this cure if deemed safe and effective remains to be seen. Also, since the woman was already on immunosuppressant medication for her liver transplant, researchers could not evaluate the immune response to the implanted cells or determine whether anti-rejection medication would be necessary for other patients.
Further research is necessary, but this study represents a significant step toward a world without diabetes. We look forward to updates on the advances of this research, and we’ll keep you posted here on the NJAP blog!
If you’re interested in the detailed scientific findings, you can read the study, published in Cell, here.
Professional Content Writer | LinkedIn | haleighsparks.com
Haleigh has had type 1 diabetes since 2002 and is passionate about the diabetes community and emerging management technologies. She hopes her writing can help and inspire other type 1 diabetics to live their best lives. When she’s not writing, she loves hanging out with her rescue dog, trying new recipes, and traveling the world.
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