A 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes became insulin-free after receiving a transplant of reprogrammed stem cells extracted from her own body. This is the first time such a procedure has been successful in a person with type 1 diabetes. The researchers, led by Deng Hongkui from Peking University, extracted cells from the woman, reverted them into a pluripotent state, and then used them to generate insulin-producing islet cells. These were then transplanted into the woman’s abdominal muscles, allowing the researchers to monitor the cells. Within 2.5 months, the woman was producing enough insulin to live without needing insulin injections, and this has continued for over a year. The results are considered remarkable, but need to be replicated in more patients before the treatment can be considered a cure for type 1 diabetes.
