Israeli Study Creates Insulin-Producing Cells

Israeli researchers have succeeded in coaxing human embryonic stem cells into producing the hormone insulin in a key step toward creating a revolutionary treatment for juvenile diabetes. The findings, reported in the August issue of Diabetes, represent a major stride toward using embryonic stem cells to treat Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes.

The researchers said the cells created in the laboratory possessed many characteristics of islet cells from the pancreas, including insulin production and release. But they acknowledged they had not shown that the cells could regulate insulin secretion to control the body’s glucose levels.

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C ompiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II