Recently, Chinese researchers claimed to have found a cure for type 2 diabetes. According to media reports, in 2021, scientists performed a stem cell transplant on a 59-year-old man who did not take diabetes medication for 33 months.
In treatment, Chinese scientists created artificial cells that resemble islet cells in the pancreas to produce insulin and regulate blood sugar levels. Islet cells (also known as islets) are not very effective, leaving diabetics for 25 years dependent on emergency insulin injections and at risk of developing diabetes.
The team used chemical compounds to transform stem cells into various tissues, including cells from the pancreas, and then injected these lab-made cells, which resembled human cells, into the patient’s body. Artificial cells take over the function of ineffective insulin producing cells, so the patient can produce insulin again.
Researcher and professor Timothy Kieffer said the trial represents an important advance in the field of cell therapy for diabetes. The main author of the report, Dr. Yin Hao, said that the technology represents a revolutionary advance in the treatment of diabetes.
