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Researchers have come closer to the “Holy Grail” of treatment for people with type 1 diabetes. They have successfully transplanted insulin-producing islet cells from one species into another without the use of immunity-suppressing drugs. In the future this could provide an unlimited supply of tissue to treat people whose bodies cannot produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that delivers glucose - a form of sugar that the body uses for fuel - to cells for energy. Since the immune systems of people with type 1 diabetes attack and destroy the islet cells that produce insulin, many...

Enlarge Image Clear-eyed. A biosynthetic cornea, shown here 1 day after implantation (left, lines are sutures) and 2 years later, allowed nerves in the eye to regenerate over time and left the eye looking normal. Credit: Per Fagerholm and Neil Lagali At least 8 million people worldwide could see again with new corneas, the thin, clear layer of collagen and cells at the front of the eye that helps it focus. But most never get transplants. A few years ago researchers developed biosynthetic corneas and now, 2 years after implanting them into patients, they appear safe and have helped...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People who need a new kidney may need to look no farther than across the dining room table, according to a new study that shows that spouses are good potential sources for so-called "living-unrelated organ donation." Due to a worldwide shortage of organs available for transplant from people who have died, "living organ donors" have become a major source of organs for transplantation. And while a "well-matched" donor organ from a sibling, parent or other close relative has the highest likelihood of surviving in the recipient, there is also evidence that organs from "living-unrelated donors"...