Transplant Cures Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes In Rats

Filed in archive Research on August 30, 2006

Of course, we aren't rats. But many an important human treatment has began with our furry, pink-nosed friends.

And the rats aren't the only animals helping out: the transplanted cells that grow into insulin receptors come from pigs.

Finding that we can cure type 2 diabetes in the same way is very significant because in humans type 2 diabetes is almost 20 times more prevalent than type 1 diabetes," says senior author Marc R. Hammerman, M.D., the Chromalloy Professor of Renal Diseases in Medicine. "There are about 200 million type 2 diabetics worldwide, and the incidence is rapidly increasing."

The treatment approach transplants precursors of the pancreas from embryonic pigs. In a previous study, Hammerman and co-developer Sharon A. Rogers, research instructor in medicine, showed that they could transplant the cells in a way that lets them grow into insulin producers without triggering attacks by the rats' immune systems. This cured the rats' diabetes without the risky immune suppression drugs required to prevent rejection in other transplant-based treatments.

It seems the least we could do is not eat ham! Do you think this heralds an exciting time for diabetes research?