Stem Cells in the Treatment of Type II Diabetes Some clinical trials are using cord blood stem cells specifically to treat diabetes. While stem cell therapy has yet to cure type 1 diabetes, there are documented cases where patients have gone years without needing insulin injections. One such method being researched uses stem cells to create the insulin-producing islets in the pancreas. While this is recognized as the best standard of care currently, researchers hope to find a way to help the body produce or better regulate its own insulin levels. This requires the patient testing his or her blood sugar levels several times per day and carefully maintaining blood insulin levels. The standard treatment today focusses on supplementing the body’s insulin, typically through injection (needles) or insulin pumps, which are worn outside the body. Stabilizing insulin levels is the key to managing diabetes. Because it most often develops in children, it is often referred to as "juvenile diabetes." The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) reports that as many as three million Americans may have type 1 diabetes (T1D) and an average of 40 children each day (more than 15,000 per year) are diagnosed. Type 1 Diabetes is characterized by the body’s inability to produce insulin and therefore necessitates daily injections of insulin.
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy.Type 2 is associated with hereditary and lifestyle risk factors.While an estimated 17.9 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 5.7 million people (or nearly one quarter) are unaware that they have the disease." Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States today.Īccording to the American Diabetes Association, "there are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes. The cause of diabetes is not known, and so far, there is no cure. Diabetics may have to self-administer insulin shots like this three times a day.ĭiabetes refers to a family of diseases where the body is unable to effectively produce or use insulin, the hormone required to convert food into energy.
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