New Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes Being Studied

Updated 6:15 PM PST, Thu, Apr 23, 2009

Print Email Share TWITTER FACEBOOK

Important news for diabetics today: A new way to treat them; with cord blood, Dr. Bruce Hensel reported.

"Cord blood is rich in stem cells: This research is looking at how giving cord blood will affect young newly diagnosed diabetics," Dr. Hensel said.

Barrett ross is a budding baseball star, and a medical pioneer. He is one of 23 kids taking part in a first of its kind study to see if an infusion of stored umbilical cord blood can slow down the advance of type-one diabetes.

Dr. Michael Haller is conducting the study: "To see if those cells could be reinfused and augment the immune system in a way that might protect some of the beta cells that are still around after folks get diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. And a lot of those patients to continue making insulin for some prolonged period of time."

Barrett's mom found the study on her own.

"They started surfing the internet, something clicked in their head. They said hey you know we, we stored cord blood, let's see if there are any studies involving cord blood and diabetes," Dr. Haller said.

The Ross family jumped at the chance to participate, had barrett's cord blood sent to Dr. Haller's lab for processing, and ultimately for the infusion. It seemed to have done some good; Barrett is using less insulin in his daily shots.

"I used to have a lot, a lot of insulin. But now since my numbers are better, I have less," Barrett said.

"I'm proud to say, that two years later, we are still in the honeymoon. Barrett is still producing insulin," Brian Ross, Barrett's father, said.

But Dr. Haller is quick to point out that this is not a cure, "I think there's a lot of hope involved but it's we have to be cautiously optimistic at this point. What we see is that there may be slight delay or decrease in the rate at which kids lose their ability to make insulin. Uh, we know we're fighting an uphill battle."

"This single site study is no longer recruiting patients but with the hopeful early results, a phase two study is already in the planning stages. This is just one way stem cells and otehr cells are being used to treat diabetes," Dr. Hensel said.

FAST FACTS:
Up to 2.4 million Americans have type 1 diabetes.
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the insulin producing cells.
Cord blood transplants are being tested to reset the immune system of patients with type 1 diabetes.
Children who have received cord blood transplants have better control over blood sugar levels and require less insulin.
For more details, refer to our comprehensive research summary.

AUDIENCE INQUIRY:
For information on type 1 diabetes:
American Diabetes Association, http://www.diabetes.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, http://www.jdrf.org/
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, http://www.niddk.nih.gov

For information about cord blood banking: American Academy of Pediatrics, http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/jan07cordbloodfaq.htm

For information about the study, go to http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, then type the trial identification number in the search box: NCT00305344.