Chinese doctors say they've CURED diabetes in man, 59, using stem cell therapy in a world-first By Connor Boyd Health And Science Editor For Dailymail.Com and Maiya Focht For Dailymail.Com Published: 21:18, 27 May 2024 | Updated: 21:56, 27 May 2024 e-mail 6 View comments Researchers in China say they have cured diabetes for the first time.
The patient, a 59-year-old man, received a pioneering cell transplant in 2021 and has been medication-free since 2022. The experimental treatment involved creating an artificial version of cells found in the pancreas that produce insulin and keep blood sugar levels in check. The man had suffered from type 2 diabetes for 25 years and had lost almost all function of these cells, known as islets.
He was deemed high risk of deadly complications, requiring multiple insulin injections every day to prevent him from going into a diabetic coma. The pancreas is an organ which, amongst other functions, produces insulin. Insulin is a natural hormone that our body uses to control the amount of sugar in our blood stream.
People with diabetes have trouble regulating their blood sugar because of pancreatic dysfunction. People with diabetes often use blood sugar monitors, like this one pictured, to determine how much sugar is currently circulating in their blood stream. This helps them decide what to eat and when to use insulin to best manage their disease.
Up to this point, no one has ever been 'cured' of diabetes, but doctors have figured out how to put i.
