Researchers described a number of ways that stem cells may be able to help diabetes patients in an article published in the journal Pancreas. According to the researchers, stem cells can be particularly helpful for the development of regenerative therapies, which, instead of treating the disease through drugs or interventions that aim to improve the functioning of diseased tissue, work by promoting the actual regeneration of tissue through processes that mimic normal development.
The main problem cause for diabetes is dysfunctional insulin signaling. Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar levels. When it is not working properly, blood sugar levels are not kept in check, and a number of detrimental effects can occur. For regenerative therapies for diabetes to work, they need to create new tissues in the pancreas, where insulin is formed. Cells known as islets of Langerhans are particularly important because they cells produce insulin.
Liver-derived oval cells have been shown to differentiate into pancreatic cells and so may be useful in regenerative therapies for diabetes. There is also some evidence to suggest that stem cells known as duct epithelium-like cells can differentiate into clusters of cells similar to islets of Langerhans. Further, these types of cell clusters have been shown to impact blood sugar levels, suggesting they can also function similarly to islets of Langerhans. Other stem cells, including those from bone marrow and amniotic membranes also show some promise for developing into cells that produce insulin.
The article published in Pancreas helps establish the significant promise that stem cells have for aiding in the development of a new treatment option for diabetic patients that does not rely on the direct administration of insulin itself but instead supports regeneration of dysfunctional tissue. Given that that a number of stem cell types have proven to be candidates for such an approach to therapy, further research will likely help to identify the best way that stem cells or combinations of stem cells can be used to help diabetics better regulate their blood sugar levels.
Learn more about how stem cells could work with bone marrow cells to treat Diabetes here.
Diabetic patients from deficiencies in insulin, a hormone that is critical for regulating blood sugar levels. Researchers have recently shown how combining mesenchymal stem cells with bone marrow cells can induce the regeneration of cells that secrete insulin and thereby restore normal levels of blood sugar and blood insulin.
The insulin deficiency that occurs in diabetes differs based on the type of diabetes that a patient has. In type 1 diabetes, cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, known as beta-cells, are destroyed, preventing the normal production and secretion of insulin. In type 2 diabetes, however, insulin is still produced and secreted, but insulin sensitivity is reduced, meaning that the body does not respond properly to the presence of insulin in the blood. In both cases, there is a reduction in the number of properly functioning beta-cells.
Previous research has shown that adult bone marrow contains cells that can enhance the regeneration of beta-cells in diabetes. However, the findings have been countered by other studies that have not found this effect. In the current study, researchers aimed to determine whether bone marrow cells that are injected in combination with mesenchymal stem cells could increase the amount of functional beta-cells in diabetes. The scientists were also interested in whether any increase in functional Beta cells that may be observed as a result of this intervention would have the practical effect of restoring normal blood insulin and blood glucose levels in diabetes.
Though injecting just bone marrow cells or just mesenchymal stem cells did not impact beta-cell number or blood insulin or blood glucose levels, the combination of the two did. After a single injection, researchers observed tissue regeneration. Importantly, the new beta-cells were generated by the recipient, as no donor beta-cells were identified in recipients. Thus, the bone marrow cell and stem cell combination did not simply replace cells but instead instigated the regeneration of cells. Further, because blood insulin and blood glucose levels were restored after these injections, the newly generated beta-cells were not only present but also functional.
Another positive outcome of this procedure was that there was no immune response initiated against the new beta-cells, suggesting that these cells could survive in the long-term. These findings show the tremendous promise that stem cells have, especially when strategically combined with other interventions, to diabetes therapy.
Find out how stem cells provide regenerative therapy for Diabetes here.
Researchers have now shown that stem cells that are genetically modified may be able to help in Parkinson’s disease by replacing the cells that are damaged in the disease. Their research was recently published in the journal CNS and Neurological Disorders – Drug Targets. Parkinson’s disease affects the stratum, a specific part of the brain and disrupts dopamine signaling. Based on what is known about the pathology of the disease, research into treatments has focused on how to restore proper dopamine functioning. Most of these approaches have been pharmaceutical in nature, and though some of the treatments that have been developed have been helpful in the short-term, they unfortunately have not been effective in the long-term.
Stem cells have shown promise for treating a number of clinical conditions, in large part because they provide a means for replacing cells that may be damaged due to injury or disease. Based on a number of theoretical arguments that neural stem cells, and particularly genetically modified stem cells, could potentially help with Parkinson’s disease, researchers set out to determine the practicality of trying to implant these cells into the brain. What is particularly challenging about the endeavor is not physically putting the stem cells into the brain but getting the cells to survive, differentiate into brain cells, and integrate themselves into the brain in a way that allows them to function properly, replacing the function of those cells that have been lost due to disease.
The researchers found that the stem cells they used were able to integrate specifically into the stratum, the part of the brain that is preferentially affected by Parkinson’s disease. Further, the neural cells specifically differentiated into the types of cells that are lost in Parkinson’s disease. These findings show the promise for using specific types of stem cells to help with Parkinson’s disease. Unlike other approaches to the disease, which have had only short-term success, stem cell techniques provide the novel approach of completely replacing the cells that are lost and may therefore help restore the functions that are lost as a result of cell loss. Further research will need to explore this question of if genetically modified stem cells actually reverse the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. If these cells are able to provide a way to restore function in the disease, they could contribute to important interventions for neurodegeneration.
In a thoughtful review, Meng Liu and Zhong Chao Han discuss the reasons that mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow, fat, and fetal tissue are attractive candidates for improving type 1 diabetes therapy. Though type 1 diabetes is often treated with insulin replacement therapy, transplanting islet cells from the pancreas has become a means for curing the disease. Nonetheless, islet transplantation has a number of limitations, most of which occur as a result of isolating the islet cells from the pancreas. While isolated, the cells are vulnerable to damage and death, and as a result, effective therapy often requires a series of transplants.
Because mesenchymal stem cells possess a number of important characteristics that are lost or absent in islet cells, scientists have posited that they may have potential in the treatment of diabetes. For instance, immune system reactions to transplants often make transplants unsuccessful. However, mesenchymal stem cells modulate the immune system such that they can minimize these immune reactions. Mesenchymal stem cells are also able to differentiate into a variety of cell lineages and to promote the development of new blood vessels. These features make mesenchymal stem cells appealing from the general perspective of transplantation, where the generation of new cells and new cell networks within tissue is critical.
Given that mesenchymal stem cells appear to be a promising candidate for diabetes therapy, researchers have pondered how best to leverage the potential of these stem cells for the specific purpose of reinstating insulin function in type 1 diabetics. According to this review, one leading notion is to generate insulin-producing cells from mesenchymal stem cells.
Though there appear to be a number of specific ways to achieve insulin-producing cells from mesenchymal stem cells, the researchers point to the technical challenges associated with these methods but remain optimistic about the potential to do so. By laying the conceptual groundwork for using mesenchymal stem cells for type 1 diabetes treatment, Liu and Chao pave the way for future researchers to develop specific research protocols for improving our understanding of how mesenchymal stem cells can be used in the development of these important therapies.
Learn about how stem cells can help treat severe Diabetes here.
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