Can stem cells reverse Type 2 diabetes as well?

A new study has revealed for the first time, that stem cells could reverse Type 2 diabetes too.

Earlier it had been revealed by UBC, that stem cells could reverse Type 1 diabetes in mice. Now, the research conducted by scientists at University of British Columbia and BetaLogics, part of Janssen Research and Development, LLC, has found how Type 2 diabetes could be effectively cured with a combination of specially-cultured stem cells and conventional diabetes drugs.

Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in adulthood, accounting for more than 90% of diabetes cases, often due to poor diet, lack of exercise and obesity.

The experiment was conducted by Timothy Kieffer, a professor in the department of cellular and physiological sciences, and scientists from BetaLogics, on mice put on a high-fat and calorie diet, by stimulating them with Type 2 diabetes, for several weeks. Then pancreatic-like cells that had been grown from human cells were surgically implanted in the mice.

Mice that had received a combination of the cells with one of three diabetes drugs became glucose tolerant, whereas mice stimulated with Type 2 diabetes, stimulated with drugs and not the transplants remained glucose-intolerant.

An important observation was that, mice were able to reduce spikes in blood sugar levels, those spikes that are responsible to cause damage and increase risk for blindness, heart attack and kidney failure.

Another unexpected result of the experiment was that the mice had turned to a normal weight, same as was of a healthy control group that had been kept on a low-fat diet.

The results have been published in Stem Cell Reports.