A recent study carried out by researchers who are experts in developing stem cell treatments has confirmed that stem cells can benefit people with type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes patients who are not overweight and who have had the disorder for less than a decade can benefit from transplanting stromal stem cells from their own bone marrow, according to a study published in ‘STEM CELLS Translational Medicine’.
The researchers studied the safety and potential therapeutic value of administering bone marrow stromal stem cells to patients with type 2 diabetes. All of this using a randomized clinical trial conducted at the Vinmec Times City International Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. In each case, the cells were autologous, that is, taken from the patients’ own bodies.
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Study development
A total of 30 adult patients with different body mass indices were recruited for the study. Whose history of type 2 diabetes ranged from one to 25 years. Each of them received two infusions of cells intravenously or by injection into an artery that supplies blood to the pancreas.
The researchers monitored the patients for 48 hours, and reexamined them at one-month, three-month, six-month and one-year intervals. No significant problems in the health of the patients were detected as a result of the treatment. And they seemed to benefit equally from both infusion methods.
“Our patients tolerated this procedure well and showed a short-term decline. Blood glucose level After treatment, some patients were able to temporarily reduce their diabetes medications,” explains Liem Nguyen, research director at the institute.
“We also found that some of them were able to temporarily reduce the dose of their diabetes medications,” said the researcher.
Some 420 million people worldwide have type 2 diabetes. A disorder that accounts for about 90% of all diabetes cases and often leads to disability or death. These patients cannot make good use of the insulin their body produces. Increased physical activity and a healthy diet can improve the disorder in some people. But many must take insulin or drugs to control their blood glucose levels.
Patients in the Vinmec study were classified into three groups based on the diabetes medications they regularly took before stem cell infusions. Some maintained their blood glucose levels only with insulin. Others were taking drugs but not insulin, and others were taking a combination of insulin and drugs.
Stem cells from the bone marrow can transform into tissue from any organ
After receiving the treatment, more than half of the patients were able to reduce the doses of their diabetes medications.
‘Our trial shows that the procedure is safe. And it opens the way to other clinical trials exploring the potential benefits of this treatment in non-obese patients, who have had the disorder for less than 10 years,” Nguyen says.
Bone marrow stromal stem cells, also known as mesenchymal stem cells, play a critical role in the body’s immune response. And they can transform into cells of the connective tissue of any organ. In the last 50 years, they have emerged as a versatile cell source in the field of regenerative medicine.
“Results of this randomized clinical trial of type 2 diabetic patients and their own bone marrow stromal stem injections cell This is encouraging and may increase treatment options for this chronic disease, which affects many people around the world,” says Dr. Anthony Atala, Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
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“Of particular interest is the short-term efficacy in patients with a history of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes In less than 10 years, the bone mass index is less than 23,” he notes.
“This research opens up future research opportunities for further research in this area.”
Image Credit: Getty
