Diabetes researchers have been able to convert pancreas cells into cells that make insulin
It is being reported that scientists have been able to develop a method of converting cells found in the pancreas into insulin producing cells.
In the pancreas of diabetes patients, insulin is not produced, thus they need to either ingest it via a needle, or follow a strict diet.
The researchers state that their discovery could ultimately lead to a new treatment that can be offered to people living with the disease.
“We were able to flip the cell from one state into another,” said Doug Melton, co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and the study’s senior author.
So far the method has only been tested in lab mice, and according to the researchers the technique would not be ready to be tested in humans for a couple of years.
The researchers also state that down the road, the same technique that was used to convert the pancreas cells, could be used to treat other diseases.
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