Source: WebMD
Date: April 10, 2007
Summary:
WebMD covers the new finding that may have implications for treating Type 1 diabetes:
"After transplants of their own blood stem cells, 14 of 15 type 1 diabetes patients are insulin free for one to 36 months -- and counting, according to a new studying by researchers at f the University of São Paulo, Brazil. The finding marks the first time the treatment has been used in type 1 diabetes, although it's helped patients with other autoimmune diseases. The early success is encouraging -- but nobody is using the word 'cure.'"
"Researchers caution it is still unclear exactly how the stem cell treatment works, or even whether it truly works at all. And it's far from clear how long treated patients will remain insulin free. They warn that longer follow-up of trial patients, further biological studies, and a clinical trial will be needed to confirm that the treatment works. Their report appears in the April 11 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association."
