'Double hit' combination drug could reverse Type 2 diabetes
A POTENT double-hit combination of stem cells and conventional diabetes drugs could reverse Type 2 diabetes, scientists have claimed.
The breakthrough discovery moves researchers nearer to finding a cure for Type 2 diabetes and could spell the end of insulin injections.
The research has only been carried out in mice but Dr Timothy Kieffer, of Canada’s University of British Columbia, said: “Our hope is that a stem cell-based approach to insulin replacement will improve glucose control in patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.”
The researchers found that mice with Type 2 became as glucose tolerant as the healthy mice when given a combination of stem cells and one of three diabetes drugs.
This means that they were able to keep their blood sugar in check even after eating a sugary meal.
Dr Kieffer added: “Being able to reduce spikes in blood sugar levels is important because spikes do a lot of the damage increasing risks for blindness, heart attack and kidney failure.”
