Imagine living a life where you no longer need to put a needle in your body to inject insulin. That sounds like a relief, right?
Soon, it may be a reality thanks to bio-engineering.
A 41-year-old man has recently become the first European with diabetes type 1 to cut off insulin therapy. He was submitted to a treatment that consisted of transplanting the cells responsible for producing insulin (pancreatic islet cells) using the BioHub technique.
The technology was developed by the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), and its objective is to protect pancreatic islets from attacks by the immune system.
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The therapy consists of using the patient’s plasma in combination with the enzyme thrombin to create a gel-like substance that sticks to the omentum (the tissue covering the abdominal organs) that can hold the islet cells in place.
Enter the BioHub
The BioHub is a small silicon wafer that contains islet cells. The implanted islets replace the defective islets and create new insulin-producing cells.
This is the second time a type 1 diabetes patient has come off insulin with this therapy. The first was a Texas woman who received the treatment in September 2015.
Click here to visit the DRI website to learn more about the BioHub program.
Exciting times and promising therapies are coming for type 1 diabetes patients.
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