New hope for Type-1 Diabetes: Shifting from insulin dependency to stem cell therapy

Type 1 Diabetes, also known as Juvenile Diabetes, remains a lifelong struggle for many children worldwide. In this autoimmune condition, the body mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing β-cells in the pancreas, starting from early childhood or even before birth. As a result, children with type 1 diabetes must monitor their blood glucose levels at least three times a day and depend on insulin therapy for survival. This lifelong burden not only affects physical health but also takes a serious toll on a child's mental well-being.

Imagine your happy, active child suddenly becoming unusually hungry and rapidly losing weight—even after proper meals. Frequent urination, including bedwetting, may start to occur even after using the toilet before going to bed. These signs are often missed until things get worse—your child begins to breathe heavily, emits a fruity or acetone-like breath, or even collapses during playtime. These are clear signs of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Once diagnosed through tests like glucose tolerance or HbA1c, Type 1 Diabetes confirms the need for lifelong insulin therapy.

According to the International Diabetes Federation Atlas 2013, Bangladesh reported an incidence of 4.2 new cases of type 1 diabetes per 100,000 children (0–14 years), and globally, almost 9.2 million people living with type 1 diabetes were under the age of 20 in the 2024 report. Considering the solution, insulin injections were the only available treatment, with no known cure. But, in recent years, islet cell transplantation has shown some promise, but its success depends on donor availability and requires high doses of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection, posing more challenges than solutions.

But there is new hope!!! Thanks to revolutionary advancements in science, stem cell-based therapy is opening a new pathway to treat type 1 diabetes—by reprogramming the patient's own stem cells into insulin-producing islet cells!!!

A groundbreaking case from China has changed the narrative. A 25-year-old woman became the first person in the world to be cured of type 1 diabetes after receiving an injection of islet cells derived from her own reprogrammed stem cells. A research team at Peking University in Beijing successfully extracted her stem cells, converted them into insulin-producing islet-like clusters, and transplanted them back into her body. Remarkably, within just 2.5 months, she began producing sufficient insulin naturally—and stayed insulin-independent for over a year.

This milestone brings us one step closer to a future where children no longer have to fear insulin needles for life but can instead look forward to a lasting, biological cure.

The writer is a nutritionist, humanitarian aid worker, and founder of "Level Up with Nutrition", an awareness-building social media platform to inspire and educate others.

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