Cells from baby pigs to treat diabetes

Source: The Times
February 27, 2006
By Mark Henderson, Science Correspondent

TRANSPLANTS of piglet cells could be used to treat diabetes patients within three years after successful experiments in monkeys, scientists said. Two new studies have shown that insulin-producing islet cells from the pancreases of newborn pigs can reverse type 1 diabetes in primates. The findings, from teams in Canada and the US, pave the way for human clinical trials.
If the trials are successful, millions of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes could eventually benefit from treatment with piglet cells.