Russia Approves First Animal-to-Human Transplant Procedure
Pig cells wrapped in seaweed will be implanted into diabetes patients
Posted 12.16.2010 at 2:57 pm 9 Comments
No More Needles Russia has approved a xenotransplantation treatment that inserts insulin-producing pig cells into the human pancreas, reducing the need for insulin injections in type 1 diabetes patients. Electorn via Wikimedia
Type 1 diabetes occurs when insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed. As such, people suffering from the condition must inject insulin into their bloodstreams to regulate their glucose levels, but doing so can cause swings in blood sugar that can lead to other complications. The Russian treatment replaces the missing cells with pig cells that produce insulin inside the body, reducing the need for injections. The seaweed coating keeps the bodies immune system from attacking the foreign animal cells.
Though approved in Russia, the treatment was developed by Living Cell Technologies in New Zealand. In Russian trials, the treatment fared fairly well, exhibiting improvement in six of eight diabetes patients who were then able to reduce their daily insulin injections. Two of them were able to cease injections entirely.
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