h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Frin - if you get a chance could you look up "Science is Crap" (rubbish!!): Your entry 6 weeks ago & my first reply 5 weeks ago, possibly giving a quick reply? Pleeeeeease!

What do you think about this possible new "cure" for diabetes of placing new islets in the pancreas? How do I go about getting an op?!! I live in the UK though.

Thank you for your kind words in the Science.... forum. Our lab studies type I (juvenile) diabetes which is mostly genetic in cause. The focus of the research here is to identify: the genes responsible for the genetic diabetes, how they interact with the Immune cells and Islets, and to see if ways can be devised to identify potential diabetics and prevent them from getting diabetes in the first place.

So, we haven't been doing much here with the transplant research. But here is what I know...It does look like there will be human islet transplants in the near future. Stem cells have been proven to be capable of growing in to islets. When transplanted in to mice, they were capable of reversing (in short term studies) diabetes. The long term studies on the mice still need to be done, but it looks hopeful.

The other lab that we collaborate with is researching better insulin delivery. I think that they just completed a human trial of a form of insulin that is long acting and therefore needs to be taken less frequently. I had a friend in the study who said that as soon as it is available he would like to use it instead. I have another diabetic friend who was nearing kidney failure and got an insulin pump which she is very happy with.

If progress keeps being made-maybe no one will need better insulin delivery.