A breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes has been claimed by a team of scientists in Mexico, in treating diabetic children by implanting cells taken from new born pigs.
The team was made up of international researchers who conducted experiments using animal organs and tissues to tackle human diseases. The procedure known as ‘xenotransplantation’ is a controversial one raising issues of ethics and unknown the dangers of viruses being passed from pigs to humans.
For the experiment to take place, researchers had to extract ‘islet’ cells from the pancreases of piglets as these cells produce insulin. Cells had to be harvested from ten piglets to provide enough cells for one child.
The cells were placed in metal tubes and these were then implanted into the abdomens of the patients. Twenty three children were used in the experiment aged between 11 – 17 years old.
The transplanted cells had to be ‘hidden’ in the tubes otherwise they would have been destroyed once they had been implanted by the child’s immune system.
Dr Rafael Valdes, who pioneered the use of pig tissue at the Children’s Hospital of Mexico said, "Eight of the first 12 patients have showed marked improvements."
The second group of 11 patients, seven didn’t need as many insulin injections and two didn’t need any at all.
Last week Dr Valdes reported that, "Five years later and without the use of immunosuppressive drugs, we are still able to detect insulin-producing cells in the device."
The European Journal of Endocrinology published the research, and added that the fear of deadly viruses crossing from pigs to humans may not have any foundation.
Dr Angela Watson, research director at the charity Diabetes UK said, "This research may have huge future potential in the treatment of people with insulin-dependent diabetes."
|
