Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

New Procedure Gives Hope to Diabetics

UK treatment ends insulin dependency for type 1 sufferers

By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 19, 2007 5:55 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Car crashes, comas, sudden stabbings, divorces – all are being indirectly diminished as Britain spearheads a new procedure to help sufferers of type 1 diabetes. Victims of the growing disorder are often subject to fits and blackouts as they scramble for insulin, but a new operation is offering hope: already a dozen Britons are infused with cells to eliminate insulin dependency entirely.

The procedure takes an hour and a local anesthetic and “could ultimately replace insulin in the next 10-15 years," a diabetes expert says. Such a breakthrough would revolutionize life for millions, as pollution, dietary changes and other factors increase diabetes cases worldwide. The Guardian reports that the new procedure has worked on 75 percent of test patients so far.

Diabetes sufferer Lee Ann Thill, 34, looks at her insulin pump after using her glucose meter to check her blood sugar at her home in Magnolia, N.J., Monday June 11, 2007. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 5 years old and bulimia at 14, Thill grew obsessed with food...
Diabetes sufferer Lee Ann Thill, 34, looks at her insulin pump after using her glucose meter to check her blood sugar at her home in Magnolia, N.J., Monday June 11, 2007. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes...   (Associated Press)
Diabetes sufferer Lee Ann Thill, 34, draws insulin for her insulin pump at her home in Magnolia, N.J., Monday, June 11, 2007. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 5 years old and bulimia at 14, Thill grew obsessed with food and weight. The warnings from doctors and therapists did...
Diabetes sufferer Lee Ann Thill, 34, draws insulin for her insulin pump at her home in Magnolia, N.J., Monday, June 11, 2007. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 5 years old and bulimia at 14, Thill grew...   (Associated Press)
A standard blood-sugar test for diabetics.
A standard blood-sugar test for diabetics.   (Shutterstock.com)
It has opened up a new area of research, said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, head of obesity research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, who was not involved in the work. But it's so unexpected, it's going to take a number of studies to figure out if this applies to humans....
"It has opened up a new area" of research, said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, head of obesity research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, who was not involved in the work. "But it's so unexpected, it's going to take...   (Shutterstock.com)
It has opened up a new area of research, said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, head of obesity research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, who was not involved in the work. But it's so unexpected, it's going to take a number of studies to figure out if this applies to humans....
"It has opened up a new area" of research, said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, head of obesity research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, who was not involved in the work. "But it's so unexpected, it's going to take...   (Shutterstock.com)
A standard blood-sugar test for diabetics.
A standard blood-sugar test for diabetics.   (Shutterstock.com)
US NEWS MED-DIABETES-COST 2 KC
US NEWS MED-DIABETES-COST 2 KC   (KRT Photos)
Needle
Needle   ((c) Mel B.)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

What is islet cell transplantation?
NIH

 
medicine • medical breakthrough • health • diabetes • disease • United Kingdom • Islet cell transplantation • diabetics • pancreas • liver

More Newser Stories

Genes Give Up Secrets of 7 Serious Diseases

Research Gives Alzheimer's Patients Hope

Long Dormant, Scarlet Fever Returns to UK

Engineered Goats May Usher In New Age of Drugs

Docs Shelve Diabetes Study After Deaths
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne