Don't get too excited just yet. Aside from the size of the trial (a mere 15 newly-diagnosed type 1 patients), there is question of relevance to patients who are well beyond their honeymoon period. The treatment failed in the first patient and the authors suspect that it was probably because their beta cell count was too low when they started the treatment. If true, that would render long-standing type 1 patients incurable with this method. The treatment itself was a type of chemotherapy akin used in some cancer treatments, which naturally has its own risks and uncomfortable side-effects. But it does solidify that curing type 1 is a joke without a serious look into the immune system. In fact, a quote from the
Los Angeles Times confirms my sentiment: "We all realize that without addressing the problem at the level of the immune system, we'll never really beat Type 1 diabetes," said Dr. Francisco Prieto, who treats diabetics in his Elk Grove, California, practice.
According to Dr. Jay Skyler, the famous Miami endocrinologist who wrote the accompanying editorial in the
Journal of American the Medical Association where the story was published, there were several limitations of the study. There was no control group, and it occurred at a time that is often a "honeymoon" remission period in type 1 diabetes, which complicates the results. Mainly, Dr. Skyler was not sure the effect was sustained. In the study, follow-up ranged: of 15 patients, 14 stopped using insulin, one for 35 months, four for at least 21, seven for at least six, and two who responded late for one and five months.
In the study, as many similar observation studies, Dr. Voltarelli (one of the study's authors) warns we need further studies and randomized controlled trials –- but Dr. Skyler warns to take particular note of this one –- we can't jump the gun and think this is a cure. However, he was positive –- "the time may indeed be coming for starting to reverse and prevent type 1 [diabetes]."
Also, stem cell treatment remained a costly process on the body for study participants. To stop the immune system from killing the few insulin-producing cells that remained, participants underwent several days of heavy chemotherapy. The side effects of this treatment included nausea, vomiting, and hair loss. After the chemotherapy, stem cells harvested from the bone marrow (also a painful process) were introduced back into the body. The approach also failed in the first patient, and later, a second patient also relapsed during the study course.
In the short-term, patients probably shouldn't get
too excited about the development in Brazil -- its promising and opens the possibility of more serious consideration to approaches like this, but its only a first step. But with each discovery, another piece to the puzzle known as type 1 diabetes is put into place -- the only challenge is that its a 150,000 piece puzzle and the medical profession doesn't have a picture to guide them!
I've included a link to a short video clip below that I thought explained it best:
The Stem Cell Approach to Diabetes from AOL News/ABC News Minute
Brazil might have a cure 
My mother told me she shaw on the spanish channel news.Brazil med research on stem cell was having good progress.A three year study on type 1 diabetics showed they were no longer depended on insolin. Thats as much as I know.Theres hope for us after all.
RE: Brazil might have a cure 
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