Breakthrough in Diabetes: Chinese Scientists Cure Patient Using Cell Transplant

Chinese scientists have successfully used cell transplants to cure a type-1 diabetes patient. The 25-year-old woman regulated her blood sugar post-surgery. The breakthrough, published in the journal Cell, involved using chemically induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived islets and the procedure took just half an hour.

Chinese scientists have made groundbreaking strides in the treatment of type-1 diabetes by successfully curing a patient using cell transplants. In what is reported to be the first case of its kind, the 25-year-old woman was able to naturally regulate her blood sugar levels just two and a half months after undergoing minimally invasive surgery.

The groundbreaking surgery, conducted by researchers from Tianjin First Central Hospital and Peking University, only took half an hour. The procedure involved transforming adipose tissue cells from the patient into pluripotent stem cells, which were then converted into islet cells and transplanted back into her body. Because these cells originated from the patient, there were no issues with immune rejection.

Following the transplant, the patient's fasting blood glucose levels normalised, and she gradually reduced her dependence on external insulin, eventually stopping insulin injections completely. This stability has been maintained for over a year. The promising results indicate that further clinical studies assessing CiPSC islet transplant in type-1 diabetes are warranted.

(With inputs from agencies.)