STEM CELL TREATMENT FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES MELLITUS

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality affecting around 350 million people worldwide. Replacement of B cells is an attractive anticipation for diabetes treatment, but treatment options are rather limited. Even in the face of challenges, there is hope in cells that produce insulin from human pluripotent stem cells. So far, the most effective protocols have produced cells that mimic insulin and have very similar molecular properties to cells that secrete true insulin. However, these cells show little sensitivity to glycosylation and are a promising problem to be solved in the coming years. This review summarizes the latest progress in obtaining insulin-ex- pressing cells from different progenitor sources and highlights the major pathways and genes involved in diabetic patients.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to know the Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus treatment with stem cells and its outcome.

Study Design: A prospective Study.

Place and Duration: The Study was held in the Endocrinology Department of Services Hospital, Lahore for the period of two years from January 2015 to January 2017.

Methods: Inclusion criteria were patients of both sexes, aged 12 to 60 years, with a diagnosis of type 1 DM during the previous 6 weeks confirmed by measurement of serum levels of anti–glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) antibodies, BSR levels, GTT and HbA1C.

Results: Clinical trials embedding mesenchymal undifferentiated cells into type 1 diabetes patients exploit two resources these cells have. Right off the bat, they have the strength to repair beta cells, and on the other hand they have the ability to tweak the safe framework by avoiding the reactions promoting the immune system response and action on pancreatic beta cells. Stem cells are pieces of a human body normally, and they have the special capacity to discover and repair the place of harm inside the framework. For results to completely create, it as a rule takes up to four months after the immature stem cells are infused into human life form amid treatment.

Conclusion: Functional restoration of existing β-cells, transplantation of stem cells or stem cell-derived β-like cells might provide new opportunities for treatment. However, the use of stem cells to generate a renewable source of β-cells for diabetes treatment remains challenging, largely due to safety concerns. Current differentiation protocols that use viral vectors to generate induced β-cells result in low numbers of functional β-cells, and possible unexpected genetic modifications.

Key words: Diabetes mellitus; Stem cells; Insulin; Cell therapy.