Scientists have reportedly converted fat cells into insulin producers

For the first time, a team of researchers in China has reversed type 1 diabetes by converting a woman’s own fat cells into insulin-producing cells. Led by Dr. Hongkui Deng of Beijing University’s Beijing-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, the team is said to have created new insulin-producing pancreatic cells, eliminating the need for insulin injections for more than a year. This promising result, published in the journal Cell, has led to new possibilities for the long-term treatment of diabetes.

New approach to insulin production

According to one report through Live Science, the team extracted fat cells from a woman with type 1 diabetes and chemically reduced these cells to a highly adaptable, stem-like state. Then, using a series of laboratory techniques, the team converted them into insulin-producing islet cells, usually found in the pancreas. The report further stated that these reprogrammed cells were implanted in the patient’s abdomen, where they began producing insulin to stabilize blood sugar levels. The report states that the patient no longer required insulin injections within 75 days.

Implications and future directions

This offers a new perspective on diabetes management and could be an alternative to conventional islet cell transplants. Although islet transplants have proven successful, they rely on scarce organ donations and require lifelong immunosuppressants, which limits their availability. However, the report notes that this stem cell approach could yield a virtually unlimited supply of cells.

Challenges and next steps

One obstacle to broadening this treatment is developing a way to protect these cells from immune attack without relying on strong immune-suppressing drugs. Dr. Herold pointed out that expanding the availability of the treatment would mean finding methods to prevent transplanted cells from being destroyed by the immune system. Meanwhile, other biotech groups such as Vertex Pharmaceuticals are pursuing similar strategies, using lab-grown cells to balance blood sugar levels in diabetes patients without the need for donor organs.