Transplanted cells from living donors offer diabetics hope

[dArKeR]

A Japanese woman is free of the symptoms of diabetes after receiving cells from her mother's pancreas in the first transplant from a living donor, it emerged on Monday.
The woman, 27, who had had insulin-dependent diabetes since she was 15, was given islet cells from her 56-year-old mother's pancreas.

Fears that the donor might become diabetic because of the loss of a substantial number of islet cells appear unfounded.

The operation will be of interest to the millions of people around the world who suffer from diabetes.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2005/04/20/2003251182

[MADem]

1. Wow, how wonderful! n/t

[phusion]

2. Excellent news...

My father has had type I, or insulin-dependent diabetes since I was born. I wonder when this will become accepted treatment???

:applause:

[Celebration]

3. unfortunately

This was Type 1--but not autoimmune. Most Type 1 is autoimmune, and this would probably require the use of immunosuppressives.

[doodadem]

4. Immunosuppressives

If a type 1 has already had a kidney transplant, like my sister, they have already been on immunosuppressives for some time to keep them from rejecting the new organ. I'm sure they are not going to make such a procedure available to people like her who have already been a diabetic for 40+ years of their life, and sustained major organ and system damage. It can't reverse damage. And it's certainly not going to be available to people like her on Medicare/Medicaid.
This is a horrible, horrible disease, and I've already lost my other sister to it.