Beta cells created in lab

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Scientists at a Chennai facility have created in the laboratory the beta cells of the pancreas, responsible for producing insulin hormone, by using stem cells derived from tummy-fat.

The breakthrough, which is a step forward in diabetes treatment, has been received for publication by several international medical journals, as well as the Indian Journal of Clinical Practice.

“It is with great difficulty that we have managed to culture the beta cells from the adipose tissue stem cells taken from the fat deposits inside the abdomen, called omentum fat,” said Dr J.S. Rajkumar, chairman, Lifeline Multispeciality Hospital, whose team of stem cell scientists found that an injection of these beta cells vastly improved the condition of a diabetic patient who had enrolled for the trial.

“These cells will now be used in trials in diabetic rats and dogs to check their efficacy in producing insulin,” he said.

“However we conduct trials on many other patients before announcing success,” he said.
Stem cells are potent cells from the human body that have the ability to develop into any type of organ and tissue cells.

There are various sources of stem cells, but the best are believed to be from the bone marrow, the umblical cord and fat tissue.

“Apart from pancreatic cells, we are trying to grow tissues of the fallopian tubes, endometrium (insides of the uterus) and placenta from stem cells,” said Dr S Indumathi of the department of stem cell research at the hospital.

Around 690 patients with spinal cord injuries and paraplegia, liver diseases and neuro-degenrative disorders have been part of the clinical trials involving stem cells at Lifeline.

All the cases have been documented. Arjuna awardee V. Chandrasekar, a former national table tennis champion, spoke about how he had recovered after injections of stem cells.

“About 28 years ago, I underwent a knee surgery that went wrong and left me with brain damage. I could not walk properly, lost my vision and could not play TT again,” said Chandrasekar.

“After many different treatments, I tried stem cell therapy, where I received an injection of my own bone marrow stem cells. There has been good recovery; I hope to play TT again one day,” he said.

Several other patients with end-stage liver disease were also present. “I had been given an ultimatum; they said a liver transplant was the only option. I tried stem cell therapy and I have survived for five years without a problem,” said Chandrika, a patient.

“However, stem cell therapy may not work for everybody. We still do not understand why some recover and some do not show any improvement. Yet, it is completely safe as it is your own body’s cells,” concluded Dr Rajkumar.