Researchers are busily working to find cure in diabetes because of the increasing number of people who are suffering from the disease. About 26 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes and another 79 million are expected to develop the disease.
A team from UPMC is trying to have the cells that are responsible for insulin, to regenerate, known as beat cells. By doing the regeneration of cells it will help in the cut down of the need for insulin shots.
The procedure worked for about four weeks in mice but further research is still needed and it takes years to know whether the study will be successful or not.
However the doctors and patients are looking on the bright side because of the advancements happening in the medical community. According to Dale Brackin who had type 1 diabetes and underwent in a pancreas transplant, It depends on how people define the word cure, he claims that he don’t take insulin anymore and for him it close enough.
“All of the patients with a functional pancreas transplant, they won’t have any symptoms anymore, and more importantly, their hemoglobin A1c should be normalized and they do not have any requirement for insulin anymore,” said Allegheny General Hospital surgeon Akhtar Khan. A patient with type 1 diabetes has to be in critically bad shape before qualifying for a new pancreas and must also be put on a waiting list to find a matching donor. http://www.wtae.com/news/27392800/detail.html
Brackin added that he is very thankful for everyone who had the organ donor checked off in their driver’s license. It is really a gift that people are potentially giving them.
Dr. Murray Gordon, an endocardiologist at Allegheny General Hospital recommends everyone to have a blood test check for early signs which is covered by insurance. He sees a great promise for the next few years.
