Stem Cell Research With Regards to Diabetes

By Julia Hanf in Diabetes on April 24th, 2008

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by Julia Hanf

The research about stem cells has been very controversial. The issues in the advent of stem cell research as well as the health care distinction are some of the topics that have been delved into by many medical experts as well as those suffering from certain illnesses such as migraine and diabetes. The most part that has caught the interest of these experts is where these cells are from. There are so many sources associated with stem cells. These cells may either be from the blood in the umbilical cord, embryos or from old age.

The cure for diabetes may come from the findings of stem cell research. The American Diabetes Association advocates this kind of research, and has lobbied assiduously to procure financing. The American Diabetes Association is also combating restrictions on stem cell research relating to diabetes.

UC Berkeley and Stanford University are two schools that are joining forces on a project to encourage cooperation among scientists who do stem cell research.

Doctors, biologists, chemists, engineers and computer scientists from the two schools formerly cited, are joining forces to talk about their effort and to contributions with students and staff.

The two schools are working hard and trying to dig deeper on the research about embryonic stem cell. This is what many scientists expect to present and give necessary information for cures and treatments of certain diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and diabetes.

To represent the teamwork, Stanford and UC Berkeley plan to build separate laboratories for researches who constantly visit the campuses and especially for those who spend their time off with friends and colleagues from other universities.

A biotechnology company, VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc., make use of embryonic stem cell technologies to discover and create new drugs for diabetes, publicized an extensive embryonic stem cell research unification with Toronto’s University Health Network, Canada’s foremost research hospital, and its stem cell research associate, the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine.

The fresh union places VistaGen to be able to continue to utilize the embryonic stem cell biology information and innovative embryonic stem cell know-how of Dr. Gordon Keller, one of the world’s foremost stem cell researchers and the Director of the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine. VistaGen and Dr. Keller look forward to carrying out research into advanced techniques to differentiate between embryonic stem cells into mature cardiac, liver, and pancreatic beta-islet cells. This will progress VistaGen’s industry-leading, in vitro biological systems and bioinformatics databases for prognostic toxicology submissions.

The newly maintained research program is based on VistaGen’s present strategic licenses to Dr. Keller’s past embryonic stem cell intellectual property, and encompasses new embryonic stem cell-based research ventures.

VistaGen is also hopeful that the outcomes of the stem cell research will be useful in developing and finding the newer invention for the different systems that would be used in embryonic stem cell-based liver, pancreas and cardiac beta-islet differentiation. Moreover, VistaGen is hopeful that the results will be used to develop pioneering medications for heart and liver diseases as well as diabetes.

Still another bunch of researchers from the Spring Point Project has been initiating hard work to offer a cure by inserting insulin-producing islet cells derived from pigs into diabetics. Studies demonstrated that transplanting healthy human islet cells in diabetics could turn around the disease. But because of a lack of human donor organs access is restricted to such cells.

Dr. Bernhard Hering together with his group worked on islet cell transplants from pigs to monkeys. They found out that the cell transplanted to monkey turned out to be a long-term diabetes reversal. Dr. Hering presented presentation in PowerPoint. This presentation included a chart that showed inconsistent counts in the blood sugar up to a certain level in monkeys. This research most especially the use of pig has proved very useful. Some of the areas shown are the bowels in transplants and pig valves. Accordingly, the skin of the pigs can also be used to replace the skin of the human.

Owing to the fact that this is implanting alien cells into the body, those getting the transplants would have to receive medication to ensure they did not rebuff the cells. There may possibly be side effects, however right now it is not known how severe they may be, and the side effects may differ from patient to patient.

Sooner, the very first experiment on the different severities of diabetes will be clinically tried especially to those who cannot check their blood sugar levels constantly. These people are also those who experience different episodes of the disease.

Stem cell research will continue to be controversial for some time as long as the sources of the cells remain the same as they are today. If the stem cells can be derived from a source that the public is comfortable with, the controversy may decline.

About the Author:

Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.