Can stem cell therapy cure diabetes?

Trupti Thite, Information Scientist, ACSII, explores the latest advances in stem cell therapy, types of stem cells used, and the growing body of research supporting their use for the treatment of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes

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Diabetes is quickly becoming one of the most urgent global public health crises. Currently, 540 million people worldwide have diabetes, and that number is projected to increase to 783 million by 2045. More than 90 per cent of cases are type 2 diabetes, which includes insulin resistance and beta-cell dysfunction.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disorder where insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed, is also rising at alarming rates. In 2021, over 8 million people globally had type 1 diabetes, and that is expected to increase to as much as 17 million people by 2040.

When unmanaged, diabetes can lead to chronic complications affecting multiple systems, especially microvascular diseases such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy, as well as macrovascular diseases including cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular diseases, all of which are associated with high morbidity and mortality. In 2021, diabetes and kidney disease due to diabetes caused over 2 million deaths globally, and around 11 per cent of cardiovascular deaths were linked to high blood glucose.

What's changing in diabetes research

The conventional approaches to managing both type 1 and type 2 diabetes include continuous monitoring of blood sugar levels and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Type 1 diabetes patients must rely on insulin supplements in the form of daily injections, while type 2 patients use oral medications like metformin, sulfonylureas, and DPP-4 inhibitors.