| OBSERVATION'S |
Type 1 Diabetes - Type 1 diabetes, also called insulin-dependent diabetes, diabetes mellitus or juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease characterized by destruction of insulin-producing islet Beta cells in the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5-10% of total diabetes cases. In the United States and Europe alone, approximately two million patients are affected by Type 1 diabetes and 100,000 new cases are reported every year (www.jdf.org). Diabetes is characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, which can be controlled by administration of insulin through daily injections or an insulin pump. Insulin treatment must be strictly regulated and must be continued throughout the patient's lifetime. Side effects of improper insulin regulation and hyperglycemia include functional alterations in the kidney, peripheral nerves and retina, foot ulcers and a high incidence of infections. At present, one of the most promising strategies for curing Type 1 diabetes is islet Beta cell transplantation. Islet cell transplantation is a routine procedure and 75% of the patients receiving islet cells are insulin-independent at 1 year. However, there are two major hurdles to Beta cell transplantation. One limitation is a shortage of human pancreases available and inability to efficiently propagate insulin-producing islet cells in culture. A second limitation to Beta cell transplantation is immune rejection of islet transplants. Thus, there is a strong demand for isogenic (derived from the patient) insulin-producing cells that are not rejected by the patient after transplantation |
| UPDATE | 05.02 |
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