Diabetes is a life-long chronic degenerative disease characterized by uncontrolled or high blood sugar levels in the body. When the body is unable to produce enough insulin or use it properly, the blood sugar remains in the bloodstream, leading to serious health issues in the long term.
As per the World Health Organization report, the number of individuals who have diabetes is anticipated to rise to 700 million by 2045. Presently, the organization ranks diabetes as an epidemic impacting global health.
The pursuit of a miraculous remedy, a permanent cure for diabetes, has led the medical industry to discover the potential of stem cells for this prolonged autoimmune condition. Continue reading this article further to gain insights into the benefits of stem cell therapy for diabetes, how the treatment works, the results of clinical trials, and the success rate.
What Are Stem Cells?
Stem cells are special undifferentiated cells capable of renewing and multiplying themselves. These cells repair and regenerate damaged tissues and promote healing. Their unique capacity to form different types of cells makes them a revolutionary subject in research for regenerative medicine.
Stem cells are collected from different sources, such as bone marrow, adipose tissue(fat), or umbilical cord tissue (Wharton’s Jelly). These adult stem cells, or mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), exhibit high multilineage differentiation.
Numerous preclinical studies and research reveal that MSC-based therapies have promising potential for various medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions like arthritis and knee pain, and many more.
Treatment of diabetes using mesenchymal stem cells offers a miraculous hope for people with diabetes to lead a healthy and normal life by managing blood sugar.
Types of Diabetes Treated with Stem Cells
Stem cells offer hope to patients of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes by tackling their root causes. Let us understand what these two primary diabetes types are.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body cannot produce sufficient insulin. The immune system attacks and destroys the pancreatic or beta cells responsible for producing insulin, a hormone regulating blood sugar levels. Insufficient insulin production causes the sugar level to rise. In most cases, insulin injections are administered to patients constantly to check their sugar levels.
Stem cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes aims to modulate the immune system, preventing self-immunological attacks on the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It has incredible therapeutic potential to reduce inflammation and control glucose levels in the blood, eliminating dependence on insulin injections and medicines.
Type 2 Diabetes
High sugar levels in the bloodstream characterize type 2 diabetes due to insufficient insulin production or cells’ incapability to respond to insulin. Traditional treatment approaches include medications to boost the efficient use of insulin by the cells.
Stem cell therapy offers promising results for Type 2 diabetes treatment by regenerating healthy beta cells that function properly and manage blood sugar levels through adequate insulin production.
Importance of Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes Patients
Stem cells are administered to diabetes patients to replace broken or damaged insulin-producing cells and maintain blood sugar levels. With their unique ability to differentiate and multiply into any cell type, stem cells transform into insulin-producing cells. These cells then trigger insulin production in the bloodstream, regulating the blood glucose level.
Stem cell treatment helps regenerate beta cells damaged by the immune system in Type 1 diabetes and directly replenishes them for healthy insulation production. In Type 2 diabetes, the administration of stem cells differentiates and multiplies into additional beta cells to supplement the body’s supply, overcoming insulin resistance. The newly injected stem cells combat insulin resistance in patients and promote the efficient use of this hormone to control the sugar level in the blood.
Contact the leading stem cell clinic in Mexico to learn in-depth about the role of stem cells in alleviating diabetes symptoms and managing blood sugar levels.
Read Also: Fighting Autoimmune Diseases With Stem Cell Therapy
Potential Benefits of Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes Management
The innovative approach to diabetes treatment utilizing umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells aims to reduce dependency on insulin injections. Stem cell treatment offers patients long-term benefits by potentially transforming their health with effective diabetes management. It does so in the following manner.
- Immune modulation – Stem cells have incredible immunomodulatory properties, which aid in regulating the immune system’s response and prevent attacks on the insulin-producing beta cells. This immune system modulation reduces inflammation in the pancreas by regenerating damaged beta cells and renewing healthy beta cells, leading to effective management of blood glucose levels.
- Vascular repair – Vascular complications are very common in diabetes patients. Stem cell therapy effectively repairs and regenerates blood vessels to improve blood circulation. This regenerative medicine treatment promotes tissue healing with the innate therapeutic properties of stem cells.
- Anti-inflammatory effects – Stem cells possess anti-inflammatory properties, which are important in lowering the production of pro-inflammatory proteins and promoting regulatory T-cell growth. It aids in reducing inflammation and its detrimental impacts on the functioning of the pancreas.
- Beta cell regeneration – Stem cell treatment has the vast potential to differentiate into any cell type, including beta cells. They regenerate beta cells for efficient insulin production and optimize the use of insulin in the bloodstream to maintain glucose levels. It enhances the overall blood chemistry and overall well-being of diabetes patients.
While more research is ongoing to understand the full potential and efficacy of stem cell therapy in treating diabetes of both types, initial studies demonstrated a high success rate in both preclinical and clinical settings. The next segment of this article discusses the results and success rates.
Clinical Trials and Their Results
The results of numerous clinical trials to understand the potential of stem cells in diabetes treatment have been overwhelmingly positive. These trials have shown promising results in treating Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
In a clinical trial study in 2022, using Mesenchymal stem cells led to an increase in HbA1c levels and several regulatory T-cells. Stem cell administration has shifted the balance of cytokines from pro-inflammatory proteins to anti-inflammatory agents. Patients under the Phase I/II trials have reported rapid and significant improvements in their overall health and quality of life after stem cell treatment. MSC infusions further enhance immunologic indices and impact C-peptide levels, a useful marker for measuring insulin secretion in the bloodstream.
Success Rate of Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes
Although clinical trials and medical studies have shown the high efficacy of stem cells for diabetes management, the success rate mostly depends on the patient’s current condition, age, and medical history.
However, the success rate is generally high, roughly around 70-80%, as noted in a study in 2020. This rate is determined through decreased inflammatory markers, enhanced organ function, or improved metrics assessing the patients’ quality of life.
Cellular therapy is increasingly recognized for its efficacy in managing diabetes, with notable success observed worldwide. The two primary facets influencing its treatment success are:
- Therapy process – Stem cells are introduced to the disease tissues to trigger their ability to heal by themselves. When the cells start self-healing, it prevents insulin resistance and insulin-producing beta-cell dysfunction.
- Dosage and Timing – The time of stem cell interventions and several cell doses also determines the therapy’s success. Early interventions combined with high doses are expected to yield better outcomes than lower doses and delayed therapy intervention.
- Insulin-producing cells – The delivery of new stem cells, collected from the human umbilical cord, start differentiating and multiplying into insulin-producing cells, which is the key therapeutic strategy for managing diabetes.
Limitations In Stem Cell Therapy
Despite its promise of therapeutic benefits for diabetes treatment, stem cell-based therapy is still an emerging field in medical research. More clinical trials and studies are needed to recognize the potential and its limitations in diabetes management fully.
Medical scientists and clinicians conducting current research on stem cells face certain drawbacks that must be addressed.
- Sample Size – Most trials have very small sample sizes due to novelty issues of cell-based therapies, making it difficult for researchers to conclude definitively about their long-term effectiveness.
- Need for larger studies – Diabetes is a complex condition, and it is difficult to guarantee stem cell behavior in its treatment unless more Phase III studies are conducted with more patients. To better understand the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells, administration of multiple doses and longer follow-ups is necessary. More studies would help researchers analyze the molecular mechanisms of the stem cells in the treatment process.
Concluding Note
Stem cell therapy is one of the latest regenerative medicine advancements, offering hope to millions of diabetes patients in managing their blood sugar levels and restoring normal living. The key insight gained from this informative piece is that stem cells effectively regenerate insulin-producing beta cells and reduce insulin dependency. With their therapeutic potential, MSCs control blood glucose levels by addressing the root cause of diabetes.
If you are looking for personalized advice for diabetes management with stem cells, Dr. Josemaria Torres Farber can help you. Consider consulting with the most experienced stem cell specialist at Life Altering Stem Cell Therapy Institute to discuss various stem cell therapy options. As a premier institute for stem cell treatment in Mexico, we believe in giving our patients good health and holistic care. Our advanced and practical approaches to diabetes treatment and other medical conditions will potentially enhance your overall quality of life.
