Science is always a fun endeavor as new, bizarre findings always make the headlines. The latest headline in diabetes news involves fresh umbilical cords and a cure for diabetes.
A recent study by the University of Florida found that cord blood is rich in thymic regulatory T cells, or Tregs. These cells are particularly important in regulating the immune system and preventing errors from occurring and leading up to disease like type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes results from faulty beta cells in the pancreas, which are responsible for producing insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells send an error message to the immune system which responds by attacking the faulty beta cells. As a result, the beta cells are nearly destroyed, taking all of the insulin-producing capacity with them.
According to the researchers in this study, the Tregs can potentially help prevent the immune system from attacking the beta cells.
The key, they say, lies in the Tregs found in fresh blood from an umbilical cord. Tregs present in the body of a diabetic are polluted by a faulty system, in a way. Tregs found in an umbilical cord are not tainted yet and therefore are still functioning properly.
These cells have the potential to repair damaged immune cells and create a healthy balance of functioning cells in the immune system. Researchers argue that harvesting the Tregs is a fairly simple process and can help people with virtually any autoimmune disease.
Though this is promising news, the researchers are quick to admit that this is not a cure… yet. Nevertheless, they can potentially be used to correct type 1 diabetes in its early stages. The results of the study have excited many as it may be the first step in preventing type 1 diabetes.
Findings such as this are always welcomed for diabetics because, little by little, we find ourselves one step closer to type 1 prevention and cure.
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Science Direct. URL Link. Accessed March 24, 2017.
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