Stem Cells for Type 1 Diabetes Treatment

By Kathleen Blanchard RN for eMaxHealth.com

Men with type 1 diabetes could find treatment from their own stem cells, taken from a precursor of sperm tissue. Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) found one gram of human tissue from human spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) is able to produce 1 million stem cells in the laboratory that naturally turns into insulin producing cells.

The researchers explain human spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) morph into insulin secreting beta cells found in the pancreas without any manipulation. The sperm cells already have the necessary genes to produce new beta cells. The scientists transplanted cells in to the backs of mice, finding they could control symptoms of hyperglycemia that accompanies type 1 diabetes.