Beta cells in type 1 diabetics aren’t exactly very abundant, and transplanting replacement cells into the pancreas is laborious, expensive and, worst of all, temporary. That’s why gene transfer, which coaxes non-beta cells in the pancreas into making insulin, promises to be an ideal method of curing diabetes.
This method of gene transfer, called cellular networking, integration and processing, works by sneaking certain genes into the pancreas using a virus. According to Dr. Ralph DeFronzo from the University of Texas, the co-author of the study which used this technique to counter diabetes mellitus in mice, these edited pancreatic cells acted “basically just like beta cells” by secreting insulin “only in response to glucose”.
What’s more, the cells’ ability to produce insulin was maintained in the long term, and didn’t result in any side effects. However, as with all animal studies, this has yet to be replicated in humans, or even larger animals with physiology that more closely matches that of humans: the researchers hope to reach human clinical trials within the next 3 years, but only after testing their technique in large animal models.
While this approach shows potential just like many others mentioned on this blog, it’s a long way from being implemented in reality, and whether it will even work in humans is another questions. This particular issue was raised in the comments section of the quoted article: one diabetic, who said he’s had diabetes since 1975, pointed out that he has seen a vast array of cures that have worked on diabetic mice, only for them to seemingly disappear like a mirage in a seemingly endless desert.
Source: Type 1 diabetes cured in mice using gene therapy, by Honor Whiteman.
URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317343.php