These pouch encapsulated stem cells are being studied. My endo office did a trial and were recruiting for a second trial. It’s UCSD, university of California San Diego, my endo said the results were not great. He thinks they need to put more stem cells in. This upcoming trial will put four pouches in the back and four small pouches too. They’ll be taking out the small pouches one every six weeks. The pouches need to be left in and blood vessels allowed to surround it. Then insulin has a pathway into the blood stream. They aren’t using a lot of stem cells because the study is a safety study. They are stem cells they’ve grown into functional islets of langerhans, the insulin producing cells. The pouches are of a mesh that blocks antibodies from entering to attack the cells. My concern is that I won’t know how much insulin to inject. The pouches won’t deliver insulin into the blood stream from day one. It requires the blood vessel growth for that to happen. But the goal of the project is to relive diabetics of the need for insulin. It’s a few years off but I think it’s very promising. The trial that may have begun already only takes males up to age 55.
Read this article this morning. Looks like they are getting a huge boost of funding from J&J. Its the same study.
Busybee
And they should especially focus on kids. But as much as this makes sense to me and is not the least unexpected, I can’t help feeling like 33 years of hearing “A cure is just 5 years off!” should get me a place in that line, instead of “Well, you waited all that time but oops, now you’re too old.”
And yes, @AARON10, I know it’s been an even longer wait for you and a lot of others around here.
I hope you get on that trial Aaron, and keep us updated!
i just got done, with the article,.
hope you get on the trial,.
Good luck. Hope it’s not just another “carrot on a stick”. A real cure would be fantastic.
Yeah - a Type I for 50 years and counting and heard the same “A cure is just 5 years away” crap since 1965. And now I’m too old and the wrong gender for even a trial. Yeah Medical Science!!
I didn’t get in the trial. My doctor wasn’t enthusiastic. I didn’t apply. But a little bit of insulin based on my blood sugar. You all sound so positive maybe I should have. it would help a little wouldn’t it. I have a hard time getting off work for appointments. Construction workers can’t believe how often I have a medical appointment as it is. I would want to be insulin independent. There are other trials eager for volunteers that are trying various islet cell transplant techniques. I think there are others more prepared to be in the trials. But maybe this is the cure. Thirty five years ago my endo predicted it would be stem cells that brought the cure. He thought id be healthy enough to benefit. I ran four marathons the year I turned fifty. I’m preparing now to hike the pacific crest trail the year I turn sixty. And not needing insulin would make the attempt feasible. I like distance hikes. I did two ten mile sections this week. There are thirty mile sections with no water and the water after thirty miles is not reliable. I’d probably stop invokana those days. One really feels the blood sugar abnormalities on a long distance hike. Not distracted.
That’s awesome that you have done all that. I used to run marathons before diabetes and have often thought about doing some thru-hikes with my wife so I am envious of diabetics that have their stuff together enough to do these things.
Watch my latest video. I’m hiking up Mount Laguna on the PCT with my artificial pancreas and I stop to share about it. PCTmile29 - YouTube