A Slashdot reader named fahrbot-bot shares a New York Times story about a man who participated in a clinical trial for a stem cell therapy.
His body now controls his blood sugar levels. Mr. Shelton may be the first person to be cured of the disease with a new treatment that has experts daring to hope that help may be coming for many of the 1.5 million Americans suffering from Type 1 diabetes. Mr. Shelton said it was a whole new life. It's like a miracle. Diabetes experts urged caution, but they were astonished. 17 people with severe cases of Type 1 diabetes are being studied for five years. It is not intended to be a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. "We've been looking for something like this to happen for decades," said Dr. Irl Hirsch, a diabetes expert at the University of Washington who was not involved in the research. He wants to see the result replicated in many more people. He wants to know if the cells will last for a lifetime or if the treatment will have to be repeated. He said that it was an amazing result. The moment of truth came when Mr. Shelton left the hospital. He measured his blood sugar. It was perfect. They had a meal. His blood sugar was in the normal range. Mr. Shelton cried when he saw the measurement.
I can only say thank you.
15 people in a lab spent 20 years working on converting stem cells. The total cost is about $50 million.
