New Technology Offers Hope to Those With Type 1 Diabetes


Diabetes mellitusA health care company has been formed in order to create new technology in hopes of treating diabetes.

Islexa has been put in motion by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

The goal of the company is to develop technology that will reprogram pancreatic tissue. They want to make this tissue into islets, which are organoids that produce multiple hormones including insulin.

Insulin is necessary for any diabetic treatment, as insulin regulates the glucose levels in blood. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 happens when the pancreas does not secrete insulin, and type 2 is when there is not enough insulin produced.

According to the American Diabetes Association, in 2012 there were 29.1 million people with diabetes in the United States alone. Care and treatment for people with diabetes adds up to about $245 million annually, and the ADA estimates that if nothing changes with American healthcare habits, one in every three adults will have diabetes by 2050.

Researchers believe that using islet technology can offer long term stabilization of glucose levels in a person with type 1 diabetes without additional insulin shots.

John Casey, lead clinician for the Islet Transplantation Program in Scotland, believes this technology can negate the need for manual insulin administration.

CNBC reports Casey’s statement: “Islet transplantation can transform the lives of patients with type 1 diabetes, and in some cases can result in long term freedom from insulin injections with excellent glucose control.”

Currently only available in the United Kingdom, the researchers at the University of Aberdeen hope to bring this technology to clinical trials within the next couple months.


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