For the more than 38.4 million people (11.6%, of the U.S. population) living with diabetes, there is promising news on the horizon. This encouraging development applies to both Type 2 and Type 1 diabetes patients.
There have been recent clinical trials with results that may turn life around for anyone living with diabetes, and it’s not another medication. Though the number of people in the studies is low, at the moment, some participants are experiencing a reversal of their diabetic condition.
Quick Review on Diabetes
For those not living with the health challenges of diabetes, here is a quick summary, which will help with understanding the significance of the results of these trials. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, affecting approximately 90 to 95% of people living with the disease.
Both types of diabetes cause issues with the body’s ability to use the hormone insulin needed to convert food into energy. If the body is unable to make this conversion the sugar levels in the blood become dangerously high potentially causing damage to nerves, blood vessels, and more.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body either cannot use insulin properly or produces insufficient amounts. Several factors can contribute to this type, including excess body fat, sedentary lifestyle, a diet of highly processed foods, certain medications, and hormonal disorders.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by autoimmune disease that makes the body attack and destroy the islet cells responsible for producing insulin. Therefore, the body is no longer able to produce insulin on its own.
Standard Treatments for Diabetes
For Type 1 diabetes, the standard treatment is insulin therapy. This involves:
Blood sugar monitoring throughout the day
Carbohydrate counting
Administering therapeutic doses of synthetic insulin via injections, an insulin pump, and/or an inhaler.
The standard of care for Type 2 diabetes includes lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise, along with blood sugar monitoring, and taking synthetic insulin or other diabetes medications. The amount of medication and how it is taken is determined by the effectiveness of the lifestyle changes.
Another treatment for diabetes has been islet cell transplants. There have been successes with this treatment. The problem is that there are not enough donors to meet the demand for largescale treatment. Additionally, as the islet cells come from someone else, there is a risk of transplant rejection. This means that the recipient would need to be on immune-suppressing drugs to prevent rejection, leading to a reduction in their ability to fight infections.
Recent Clinical Trials Bring New Hope
In the past year, several trials involving stem cells have created renewed hope for long-lasting diabetes treatments.
One such trial included a 59-year-old man living with Type 2 diabetes. He received a transplant of islet cells developed from his own stem cells. In less than three months, he was producing his own insulin and no longer needed to supplement with the synthetic version.
Another trial, involving a dozen participants, used islet cells from donated embryonic stem cells. Three months after the transplants, all participants were producing their own insulin.
The Biggest News
In April 2023, a 25-year-old woman with Type 1 diabetes received a transplant of islet cells produced from her own stem cells. One year later, she is consistently producing sufficient insulin to discontinue synthetic insulin therapy and can eat a regular diet, including sugar, without adverse reaction. This is the biggest news yet, as Type 1 diabetes has not been found to be reversible to date.
Still Many Questions
Despite these promising results, several questions remain unanswered and require further research. A primary concern is the role of immunosuppressant medication. It was necessary for those receiving donor cells to be on them to reduce the risk of the body rejecting the cells.
The woman with type 1 diabetes was taking immunosuppressants as well. This was due to having previously received a liver transplant. It is yet unknown if this transplantation of stem cells will be successful in the absence of the immunosuppressants, though it seems likely when the cells are developed from the person receiving the transplant.
Another question raised is that these study results have only been for a short period of time, approximately a year, and the number of people in each trial is small. Jan Skyler, an endocrinologist studying Type 1 diabetes, believes that the positive results will need to be maintained for up to five years for the disease to be considered successfully cured. The results will also need to be replicated in a larger number of people for the results to be considered conclusive.
While these questions persist, the discoveries made through these trials offer renewed hope for millions living with diabetes, potentially paving the way for more effective and long-lasting treatments in the future.
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