Doug Melton and cell replacement therapy

[ildem]

Doug Melton, one of the 100 man of the year of Times magazine is a researcher working on generating beta like cells that can replace the innate beta cells.
(https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11463)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4617632/

What do you think of this research? Do you think it has a future?
Have you heard of it before?

 

[leonS]

This IS the way forward.

Yes, I have heard of this and similar research.

One of the problems is how to stop the body killing off the new cells.

 

[ildem]

they can be made to avoid the immune system: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-019-0200-1
Though this comes with safety concerns.

a better solution would be to encapsulate them: https://www.nature.com/articles/540S60a

The main issue that remains is that the cells aren't exactly what mother nature makes..

 

[leonS]

For the past 45 years I have used a substance the Mother Nature intended for a pig, and then a man made substitute modified from the substance that Mother Nature intended in some esoteric way, and called an analogue. These substitutes I self-administered, not in the way that Mother Nature intended; directly into my blood, in very small continuous amounts, but in great lumps two and latter four times a day.

Mother Nature intended that, having removed my ability to make insulin, I should attempt to use fat for fuel. She intended that I should not be able to do this well and the burning of fat should produce toxic substances (ketones), and I should then break down proteins for fuel and then die within a few years.

Had this all happened I would have died 40 years ago. On the whole I am pleased that we did not follow what Mother Nature intended. I am not a great fan of Mother Nature nor of what she makes!

Just a thought!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I saw a talk by Prof John Pickup on cell encapsulation probably 10 years ago. It’s an interesting avenue and progress is being made, but I get the feeling that it falls into the ‘could be available in 10 years’ category which has been popular and packed full of Exciting New Developments since the late 70s.

 

[ildem]

🙂) I see your point..

What i should have said is that the cells made in the lab can only respond to high glucose levels: around 20mM, which is when someone has untreated diabetes, but they are not good at responding to more modest levels, i.e. that attained after a normal meal.. So at this moment, the cells could treat diabetes (and they are in clinical trials for that), but perhaps not better than a pump.
Though, research is continuing. We need to see what makes them more sensitive and responsive..