# Scots scientists in diabetes breakthrough



## Northerner (Aug 30, 2013)

THOUSANDS of diabetics could be effectively ?cured? thanks to a major breakthrough by Scottish scientists.

Patients could now have an islet cell transplant to prevent life-threatening complications including seizures.

The breakthrough enables scientists to take cells from the pancreas and change their function to produce insulin.

The research was carried out by the University of Aberdeen, the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.

Islet cells ? which occur naturally in the pancreas ? produce insulin, which enables the body to store glucose. However, not enough of these cells can be provided by a single donor, so patients can wait months before a second pancreas becomes available.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/425516/Scots-scientists-in-diabetes-breakthrough

Hmm... don't really see the NHS funding 'thousands' of islet cell transplants any time soon


----------



## gabriele (Aug 30, 2013)

the other problem is the rejection of the donor cells. There is  a lot of medication needed to prevent this .


----------



## LeeLee (Aug 30, 2013)

gabriele said:


> the other problem is the rejection of the donor cells. There is  a lot of medication needed to prevent this .


And, of course, the underlying autoimmune disorder that caused the islet cells to fail in the first place.


----------

