U research holds hope for diabetics: A new study raises the potential for an endless supply of insulin-producing cells to cure the disease that affect

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Last update: February 19, 2006 – 11:03 PM

Maura Lerner, Star Tribune

Researchers at the University of Minnesota announced Sunday that they were able to reverse diabetes in monkeys by transplanting insulin-producing cells from pigs. Some are calling it a milestone that could eventually transform the lives of millions of people. If the research pans out, it could provide an endless supply of healthy cells to replace the ones that don't work in diabetics. In the study, diabetic monkeys were injected with pig islet cells, which make insulin, and survived without insulin shots for up to six months. The results were published online by the journal Nature Medicine.