Diabetes has long been a disease with no way out except through minimizing the symptoms with insulin and regular checkups. However, for patients battling diabetes, a group of Chinese scientists may offer a glimmer of hope.
For the first time in the world, researchers in Shanghai, China have announced a groundbreaking achievement: the first-ever reported cure for diabetes through cell therapy. A 59-year-old patient who underwent an innovative cell transplant in 2021 has been medication-free since 2022, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
A team of researchers in China claimed to have cured the patient using cell therapy. They took the patient’s own blood cells and turned them into “seed cells,” which then helped regrow pancreatic tissue. The patient, who had type 2 diabetes for 25 years, stopped needing insulin and other medications for 33 months after the transplant. Yin Hao, a lead researcher on the team, said, “Our technology has matured and it has pushed boundaries in the field of regenerative medicine for the treatment of diabetes.”
The transplant successfully eliminated the patient’s need for external insulin within 11 weeks. Oral medication was also gradually reduced and ultimately discontinued a year later. Follow-up exams showed restored pancreatic function and normal kidney function, suggesting the patient had been cured.
Diabetes is a major health threat, affecting 422 million people worldwide. And though Islet transplantation is not a new idea, these results promise highly to treat diabetes by trying to restore the body’s ability to produce insulin.
The success in China gives hope to millions of people with diabetes around the world. However, researchers say more research is needed to confirm the long-term efficacy and broaden the applicability of this treatment. But more than ever before, the dream of a more effective and less difficult treatment for diabetes is becoming more real each day.
