Australia's Living Cell Technologies is garnering headlines with some intriguing responses tracked in a tiny diabetes trial undertaken in Russia. Two volunteers were injected with insulin-producing pancreas cells taken from piglets. With the smallest dose, volunteers demonstrated a 25 percent reduction in their insulin requirements. CEO Dr. Paul Tan called the trial results a "breakthrough" in treating Type 1 diabetes. The key to making it work, says the company, is coating the pancreas cells with a gel that prevents them from being marked for destruction by the human immune system and allows them to express insulin. That coating process prevents the need for using immuno-suppressant therapies.
- see the release [1]Â on LCT's work
- read the report [2] from The Age
Related Articles:
LCT's stem cell research should be encouraged. Editorial [3]
Diabetes epidemic triggers soaring drug market. Report [4]
Read more on: Type 1 Diabetes [5]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/press-release-living-cell-technologies-announces-positive-preliminary-data-diabecell
[2] http://www.theage.com.au/news/Business/Pig-cell-diabetes-trial-promising/2007/10/09/1191695865541.html
[3] http://www.fiercebioresearcher.com/story/editor-s-corner/2006-09-21
[4] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/diabetes-epidemic-triggers-soaring-drug-market/2006-06-22
[5] http://www.fiercebioresearcher.com/tags/type-1-diabetes