Diabetes mellitus is commonly known as diabetes and has four types - type 1, type 2, gestational and monogenic diabetes. Amongst these, we have seen potential in the application of stem cells in both diabetes type 1 and diabetes type 2.

 

Diabetes type 1 and type 2 are both chronic metabolic disorders in which patients experience higher blood sugar levels due to not enough insulin or insulin resistance in the body. Insulin is produced by the β (beta) cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas and is used to convert the food into energy.

 

The recent surge in the number of people getting diagnosed with diabetes is increasing, especially in the younger generation. Thus, a method to solve the problem to s greater extend was searched and stem cells fit in those shoes.

 

The conventional methods include insulin injection or pumps or oral medications as Stabilizing insulin levels is the key to managing diabetes.

The stem cells are able to regenerate and develop into different cell types in the human body. With the breakthrough of stem cells for various diseases, it was taken up as an option for T1DM and T2DM.

 

In type 1 diabetes, we observe the inability of the body to produce any insulin due to autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β cells. One such method under intensive research to fix this problem is using stem cells to create the insulin-producing islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.

 

Though patients have not recovered fully from the disorder, they have gone years without taking any injection. Cord blood stem cells are prioritized for this cure research. Cord blood is the best source of hematopoietic stem cells because of their lack of mutation caused by ageing.

 

The other things tried by the scientists are the generation of IPCs or insulin-producing cells and whole pancreas invitro from hESCs (human embryonic stem cells), iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells), and adult stem cells.

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In type 2 diabetes, when the patients were introduced to stem cells, it was observed that their glucose value and control improved and their dependence on insulin decreased for 4 years. Biologically, stem cells divide and differentiate into diverse cell types which are specialized for a specific action. The first step starts with the stem cells differentiating into insulin-producing cells or IPCs.

 

Stem cell-based therapy has been considered a promising potential therapeutic method for diabetes treatment, especially for T1DM. Even though there are few issues that need to be solved for both types so that the research can grow more specific and market-oriented, but till then stem cells give us the hope of converting a lifelong incurable disease into a curable disease