In most areas of diabetes research, you don’t hear much until there’s a big breakthrough of some sort. And then it goes dark again.
That’s what happened several years ago on the then-hot topic of xenotransplantation, or the sourcing of islet cells for transplants. Some studies were launched using porcine cells and the press had a field day with headlines like “pig sushi diabetes trial.” Since then? Nada.
But recently, a New Zealand-based company called…
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Participating in a marathon is a pretty amazing feat for anyone, but five people taking part in the 26.2-mile Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 7 share something that makes this amazing feat extra special: all of them were formerly dependent on insulin, but have had an islet cell transplant and are now living their lives diabetes-free!
Islet cell transplantation is what connects the five together as members of the athletic team Cellmates On The…
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Lots of organizations are working on new ways to accomplish islet cell transplantation in which the immune system does not kill off the transplanted cells. If they could do that, we’d likely have a cure for diabetes. But it ain’t easy, especially because we’re talking about transplanting into people whose immune systems are in mega-attack mode to begin with (type 1 diabetics).
The Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) in Florida is currently working on this challenge…
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Dan Hurley, award-winning journalist and author of the new book Diabetes Rising is turning out to have some controversial views. He certainly thinks about Type 1 diabetes — which he’s lived with himself for 34 years — in different terms than I do; he’s very focused on causes and prevention, while I’m just trying to work out how to live with this thing. When I approached Dan to write a piece here at the ‘Mine…
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