In an experiment that amazed scientists, experts discovered a new treatment using insulin-producing stem cells after it successfully worked with a patient in Elyria, Ohio. The life of a 64-year-old patient named Brian Shelton was dictated by type 1 diabetes, and when his blood sugar levels dropped, he would lose consciousness unexpectedly.
A call for individuals with type 1 diabetes to participate in a clinical trial conducted by Vertex Pharmaceuticals was noted. The company was testing a treatment developed over decades by a scientist who vowed to find a cure after his son and teenage daughter were afflicted with this devastating disease.
Shelton was the first patient to receive an injection of stem cell-derived insulin-producing pancreatic cells, which his body lacked, on June 29. Now, his body automatically regulates insulin and blood sugar levels, according to a report published by The New York Times. Shelton is considered the first person to recover from the disease with this new treatment, stating, "It’s a completely new life. It feels like a miracle."
Diabetes experts were astonished but urged caution. The study is ongoing and will last five years, involving 17 individuals suffering from severe cases of type 1 diabetes. It is not intended to be a treatment for the more common type 2 diabetes.
