• Question: Have you actually found something to treat diabetes?

    Asked by supergirl786 to Sharon on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Sharon Sneddon

      Sharon Sneddon answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      No, not yet sadly.

      At the moment, doctors can only treat the symptoms of diabetes, with careful diet and sometimes insulin injections. With my research, the hope is that we can turn stem cells into cells that produce insulin, and these could be transplanted into the pancreas (the organ where insulin is produced) and replace the cells that don’t work properly. This would cure diabetes, as patients would not have to have injections anymore.
      Hopefully this will come about in 5-10 years, which seems a while away, but scientists also need to make sure that the cells will be safe.

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