Chinese scientists have claimed to have cured a 59-year-old man who suffered from type 2 diabetes. The patient underwent a type of cell therapy in 2021 and has not needed to take medication since, according to reports
“This represents a significant advance in the field of diabetes therapy,” said Professor Timothy Kieffer from the University of British Columbia in Canada, who was not involved in the study.
The patient had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes more than 25 years ago and had faced various complications. Despite having a kidney transplant in 2017, he lost almost all function of his pancreas, which regulates blood sugar levels. As a result, he relied on insulin injections several times a day.
Scientists in Shanghai, China, took the patient’s blood cells to create stem cells, which were then converted into cells that produce insulin to control blood sugar levels. These cells were transplanted into the patient in July 2021, and within 11 weeks, he no longer needed insulin injections.
He gradually reduced his blood sugar control medications, and 12 months after the intervention, he stopped taking all of these medications.
“The examinations we conducted after the intervention showed that the patient’s pancreatic function was effectively restored, and his kidney function returned to normal,” said Hao Yin from Changzheng Hospital in Shanghai. He also noted that such results demonstrate that this treatment can prevent the progression of complications that occur in the body as a result of diabetes.
Professor Kieffer stated that this is the first time stem cell therapy has been used to treat type 2 diabetes. The team now hopes to use this therapy on other diabetes patients.
The research was published in the ‘Cell Discovery’ journal.