Fancy that.
An interesting article from ABC's STAT Medical News by Joanna Schaffhausen (ABC News). I know that some people on my friends list will be very interested. I should probably ask my aunt if she's seen it, too.
( Read more... )
Even if it's temporary, two years of normal pancreatic function ain't bad at all, and the long-term benefit of an extra safety buffer against blood crashes is nothing to sneeze at. If doctors can develop better methods for harvesting islet cells - or, better yet, cultivate them in sufficient quantities - biannual cell transplants could replace insulin injections for many people with Type I diabetes. Of course, it will take a few years at least before anything like that is possible, and I don't know how much it costs. From what I can see, though, it's a pretty nifty idea deserving of further research.
( Read more... )
Even if it's temporary, two years of normal pancreatic function ain't bad at all, and the long-term benefit of an extra safety buffer against blood crashes is nothing to sneeze at. If doctors can develop better methods for harvesting islet cells - or, better yet, cultivate them in sufficient quantities - biannual cell transplants could replace insulin injections for many people with Type I diabetes. Of course, it will take a few years at least before anything like that is possible, and I don't know how much it costs. From what I can see, though, it's a pretty nifty idea deserving of further research.