Has there been any information in regards to the recent research carried out in Florida with lab mice, where diabetic reversal was accomplished with the application of what I believe were genetic cells?

There was a press release in the media regarding a report by Schatz, et al., on the use of stem cells to contain diabetes in a susceptible strain of mice. I have not yet had a chance to see the original article which was in the last issue of Nature Medicine. You could, I am sure, see a copy of this in any Medical Library or even in some public libraries.

There has been a flurry of interest in the last year or so in these cells and they have had some definite successes, one has been diminish the need for immunosuppression in organ transplantation and another has been their prenatal use in an immune deficiency syndrome called SIDS. The possibilities in autoimmune diabetes are beguiling. The problem is that in this disorder the fundamental problem is in the immune system and this remains even if there are new islet cells. In a way this was all tested some years ago when a number of transplants of islet cells were done between identical twins and failed

In short, human trials are still some way in the future; but it is yet another avenue that may work as ever increasing understanding of the complex abnormality in the immune system opens up new possibilities of circumventing them.

DOB