-Type 1 Diabetes (insulin dependent Diabetes) affects about 1 million people and the frequency is increasing worldwide by about 3% per year.
Diabetes, Type I is caused by an auto-immune destruction of certain pancreatic cells that produce insulin, the hormone that controls blood glucose.
According to a recent article in the journal Diabetes Care, transplanting pancreatic cells can cure Type 1 Diabetes.

· Researchers gave infusions of insulin-producing pancreatic cells to 14 patients with Type 1 Diabetes.
All patients that received the pancreatic cell infusion were able to produce their own insulin. The treated patients no longer needed to give themselves insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels by about 12 days after the treatment.

· This article shows us that pancreatic cell transplant appears to be a viable option in the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes.
· The biggest obstacle to long term insulin production and diabetic control is the rejection of the pancreatic cell transplant. Just as with other types of organ transplants, the immune system of the recipient may recognize the transplant as a foreign tissue and attack it.
More studies are needed to assess the optimal transplant procedures to insure the long term survival of the pancreatic cells.

Cristopher Geiler, MD
Reference
Diabetes Care 2009;32:1473-1478