Cord Blood Stem Cells Produce Insulin
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Stem cells taken from the umbilical
Cords of newborns can be engineered to produce insulin and
May someday be used to treat diabetes, U.S. And British
Researchers reported on Friday.
They said they were able to first grow large numbers of the
Stem cells and then direct them to resemble the insulin-
Producing cells of the pancreas that are damaged in
Diabetes.
"This discovery tells us that we have the potential to
Produce insulin from adult stem cells to help people with
Diabetes," said Dr. Randall Urban of the University of
Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, who directed the study.
"It doesn’t prove that we’re going to be able to do this
In people — it’s just the first step up the rung of the
Ladder," Urban added in a statement.