Chinese woman finds type 1 diabetes reversed after stem cell transplant in world first
25-year-old with chronic condition for over a decade has no need for external insulin some 2½ months from minimally invasive surgery
Chinese scientists have reported the world’s first case of using cell transplants to treat type 1 diabetes.
The patient, a 25-year-old who had the chronic condition for over a decade, was able to naturally regulate her blood sugar some 2½ months after undergoing the minimally invasive surgery, Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper reported on Saturday.
According to the report, the surgery took just half an hour.
The team behind the breakthrough published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Cell on Wednesday. Researchers from Tianjin First Central Hospital and Peking University were among those who took part in the study.
Diabetes is a major health threat worldwide. According to the International Diabetes Federation, China has the highest number of cases globally, with over 140 million patients and a prevalence rate exceeding 12 per cent.
Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 per cent of all cases of the disease. It is caused by an autoimmune reaction that destroys insulin-producing cells and often develops in children and adolescents. Patients with this condition cannot produce enough insulin to regulate blood glucose.