Researchers grow a pair for diabetic mice
By Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Updated Tue December 14, 2010
Well there's good news and more good news in the world of diabetes today.
First off, CMS backed off its idea to sharply limit test strips, thanks to comments made by, well, pretty much anyone who has anything to do with diabetes patients.
The other positive tidbit today: Researchers have said it could be possible, in the distant future, for people with Type 1 diabetes to grow their own insulin-producing cells. If they are a man.
In an article on WebMD, researchers were able to isolate stem cells taken from testicular cells, and morph them (probably best not to know how) into insulin-secreting islet cells. They injected the cells into diabetic mice and voila! They produced insulin for a week.
The big questions: Can this be done on a larger scale? And what about the women?
As much as it pains me to say it, sometimes it takes balls to advance medical science.
Theresa Flaherty
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