Treating Diabetes with Pig Cells

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are working on a new treatment that could be life changing for type 1 diabetics.

In fact, these scientists claim that the need for daily insulin shots could fade away in as little as three years! Thanks to their work, implanting insulin-producing islet cells from pigs into humans just might be a reality.

Pigs Can Help Treat People

Using insulin from pigs has been common in diabetes treatment for a long time, but until recently the fear of passing along viruses kept transplanting pig cells off limits. However, UAB investigators Hubert Tse, Ph.D., and Eugenia Kharlampieva, Ph.D. have collaborated in their studies and found a way to protect the body and the transplanted cells so they both can function properly.


Currently, Tse and Kharlampieva are conducting tests on lab mice. They coat clusters of pig islet cells with five layers of a very thin biometric material (each layer is about the width of one two thousandth of a human hair). With this layer in place, the transplanted cells have had great success. Not only do they stay alive in the mice bodies, they continue to produce insulin.

The End of Insulin Shots?

While Tse and Kharlampieva do content that the transplanted cells only survived in the mice bodies for around 40 days, they are astonished by the success of these initial trials. “We showed that they do stay alive, and they function to regulate blood glucose,” they have reported. “We did not expect the multilayers would show such a large, potential benefit.”


Pig islet cells produce an unlimited supply of insulin (for contrast, human cells have only limited resources), and if a successful transplant were to take place, a diabetic patient my no longer need to inject insulin. The success of UAB's latest studies have sparked a new hope for countless of diabetics around the world. Japan has relaxed its strict transplant rules in light of these findings, and the nation hopes to conduct the first pig-to-human transplant in 2019.

UAB's research has also found approval in the eyes of the JDRF Diabetes Foundation, who are supporting their work with two new grants. "[This study] is a nice example of a truly multidisciplinary project that encompasses distinct areas of expertise including engineering, nanomaterials, immunology and islet transplantation," Fran Lund, Ph.D., professor and chair of Microbiology at UAB, has said. "The project also melds basic science and engineering with the goal of developing better treatments for diabetes."



More Articles

With its slightly nutty flavor, chewy texture, and nutritional punch farro is an ancient whole grain worth a place in our pantry.

Farro...

Having diabetes is cause for concern, however it doesn’t mean that you need to eliminate all of your favorite foods from your diet completely....

With diabetes becoming more of an epidemic each and every day, being knowledgeable about the disease, its effects on the body as well as ways to...

If you’re a diabetic or live with one, it can be tough trying to figure out the best foods to eat because your priority is to control your blood...

In this post, I will show you the 10 best ice creams for diabetics.

When you think of sweetened foods that a diabetic shouldn’t consume,...

More Articles

If you’re living with diabetes, snacking is a necessity because going for more than 3-4 hours without eating can be detrimental to your health....

For diabetics, choosing healthy snacks can be a daunting task.

A good rule of thumb is to pick out snacks that are rich in protein, fiber,...

According to information available through the National Institutes of Health, there’s an estimated 462 million people in the world who are...

Eleven Clinical Studies

After eleven clinical studies and 300,000 participants, researcher Vasanti Malik and her team of researchers...

Diabetic women often have a harder time losing weight than non-diabetic women. A study funded by Jenny Craig proved that diabetic women have an...

Many recent studies have proved that magnesium levels are lower in patients with diabetes than in non-diabetics. This magnesium...

Fluid retention, also known as edema, is a problem that affects many diabetics, especially those with type 2 diabetes...

Some of us might be thrilled if we could manage our blood sugar by sitting in a hot tub or sauna, instead of working up a sweat biking, or using...

Cooking and baking with the ancient cereal grain sorghum has health benefits for people with diabetes, and those with weight control issues....

When it comes to certain foods, there are always questions as to whether or not a diabetic can have them without...

Matcha tea is a rich, creamy, full-bodied beverage with amazing nutritional properties that address several diabetes health concerns.

The...

Salads are good example of foods that type 2 diabetics can enjoy with relatively low guilt. With the right greens and other elements added, salad...

Remaining gainfully employed is important to many people. Those who live with any form of diabetes may find that some lines of work are more...

Learning that you have diabetes does mean making some lifestyle changes. One of the areas that needs attention is your diet. Most people find that...

One of the more challenging aspects of life as a type 2 diabetic is managing your diet. There’s often the temptation to avoid certain foods...