Pioneering transplant cures diabetic

Times Online ^ | March 09, 2005 | Nigel Hawkes

[Crackingham]

A breakthrough in using donor pancreas cells in patients' livers means an end to several injections a day. For the first time, a diabetic patient in Britain has been completely cured by a revolutionary transplant operation.

Richard Lane, 61, has been able to abandon the daily insulin injections he has endured for the past 28 years thanks to transplants of pancreas cells from three donors. He is the third patient to be treated at King’s College Hospital in London using a technique developed at the University of Alberta in Canada by a Leeds-born specialist, James Shapiro. The two earlier cases were only partially successful, reducing but not eliminating the need for insulin. But in Mr Lane’s case complete success has been achieved.

“This is hugely exciting,” Stephanie Amiel, a consultant in diabetes at the hospital, said. “The implications for the future are enormous.”

[MEG33]

This is wonderful news.

[kcvl]

Great news.

[NRA2BFree]

This is great news! My uncle died from diabetes a couple of years ago. After several amputations!! It's a horrible disease.

[grizzly84]

Awesome news, my dad's a type 2 diabetic and I pray to see a cure within his lifetime.

[Edgar3]

Wow! As the father of an 8 year old, type 1 diabetic, this is fantastic news. It's truly heart wrenching to watch your child take shots every day of his life since age 4. There's hope yet!

[DB]

Were the donors alive or dead?

[Musket]

That's great news. Thanks for snagging the story text 'cause neither of my browsers sees any at the link.

[AntiGuv]

Evidently the islet cells were harvested from dead organ donors.

[DB]

I see. The full story changes things a bit. They are still dependent for life on anti-rejection drugs. I don't know if I'd call that a "cure". A definite improvement but not a cure.

[BOBWADE]

ping

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Have they tried it with Type 1 yet?
Adult onset can be controlled for awhile by diet.

[Truth666]

HOAX

[RippleFire]

bump

[Thermalseeker]

Wow!

[zebra 2]

I smell it too. Adult onset (Type II), which this guy must suffer (since he started on insulin at age 34) does not result from a paucity of insulin in the system, but rather from the body's inability to efficiently use insulin for adequate metabolism of glucose. Insulin shots work for such patients by providing a superabundance of insulin to compensate. I suspect that the body's tendency toward homeostasis would negate the benefits of transplanted insulin producers by curtailing pancreatic production so that a "normal" level of insulin is maintained.

Some of you Docs weigh in.

[Between the Lines]

This procedure has been preformed on many patients for three years now and has met with varying results but most are promising. It works for only those with type 1 diabetes. There is research going on throughout the world on Islet cell transplantation but what they need most is money. If you or a loved one has type one diabetes, please consider to giving to one of the many organizations doing this research.

[twinzmommy]

I have a friend diagnosed Type 1 at age 40. It has nothing to do with the *age* of the person but the type of diabetes. Hence why they are referred to by type now instead of "juvenile" and "adult"

[twinzmommy]

I have a friend diagnosed Type 1 at age 40. It has nothing to do with the *age* of the person but the type of diabetes. Hence why they are referred to by type now instead of "juvenile" and "adult"

[Mermonkey]

My son has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in April. My usual response to a situation like this one is to inundate myself with information and this time was no different. I am not an endocrinologist, but I did sleep at a holiday inn though... here it goes...

This "transplant" surgery as it is called, is just that, a transplant. This treatment is not new, it has been successfully completed in Miami, but the problem is that after this procedure is done, you are forced to take the medications that keep your body from rejecting the transplanted cells. And the side effects of this medications appear to me to be worse than the effects of diabetes, shots or no shots... I don't think this is really a "treatment" as much as it is a trade off. JDF has a cool research newsletter for those of you that are interested... http://www.jdf.org/index.cfm?page_id=101992

Good luck to any of you that are either living with this or living with a loved one with it.

Matt