In what could bring some cheer and hope for diabetics, research in Brazil claims that stem cell treatment could free patients with type-1 diabetes from dependence on insulin. The research was reported in the current issue of Journal of American Medical Association and also reproduced in New Scientist.

The treatment is designed to stop the immune system of patients with type-1 diabetes from mistakenly destroying the pancreatic islet cells which manufacture insulin, the hormone that keeps blood sugar levels in check.

Co-leader of the research team Richard Burt of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, says the treatment doesn’t necessarily cure diabetic patients completely. The researchers, who had the data of 20 patients, said that while 12 of them remained insulin-free for nearly three years, eight others had to go back to using insulin. “But even if they did, they didn’t require as much as they did before the treatment”, the researchers point out. The research was conducted among newly diagnosed patients. Researchers say that it is for the first time that treatment has made patients insulin-free.

India is believed to be the epicentre of diabetes. “For the first time something like this has been published. No clear cut treatment has emerged so far — several things are in offing. But this is a real hope,” said Dr  Anoop Misra, Director and Head, Department of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases at Fortis Hospital, Delhi.

“Type-I diabetes, where progression of the disease is very fast, means life-long dependence on insulin. It is a huge economic burden and no absolute cure is available. Stem cell treatment is not something very hi-tech and is easily achievable in India,” he added.