July 21, 2006 -- In type I diabetes, patients lose their insulin producing beta cells due to an immune process. Because insulin is a vital hormone, the only option so far has been to replace the hormone by daily supplementation, a crude and often painful solution. Novocell, has been transplanting beta cells from cadavers into diabetes patients. But each transplant requires cells from many cadavers and the supply is limited. So Novocell will soon begin a trial using stem cells to grow new beta cells. More on this potentially blockbuster diabetes therapy...
