Amanda Smith, a 36-year-old Canadian woman with type 1 diabetes, has experienced life-changing results after a single dose of stem cells implanted into her liver. Following nearly a decade relying on insulin shots, she can now produce insulin naturally. Part of a groundbreaking study, Smith was one of 12 participants who received altered embryonic stem cells that transformed into insulin-producing cells. The results showed that 10 of the participants stopped needing insulin shots for at least a year, suggesting a promising future for treating type 1 diabetes.
"I remember, like, being scared and excited," Smith said of the study, "and it's history now."
"The end is always some sort of complication with diabetes," Smith said.
"In the liver, they're sensing a patient's blood glucose level, and they're secreting the appropriate hormone," Reichman said of the stem cell implants.
Smith and 11 other participants... were implanted with special embryonic stem cells... that secrete insulin the way a non-diabetic's pancreas does.
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