It's great progress, but the only way it's going to be a viable mass treatment is if they can get around the cell surface antigen problem. Modified autologous stem cells are going to be too...
It's great progress, but the only way it's going to be a viable mass treatment is if they can get around the cell surface antigen problem. Modified autologous stem cells are going to be too expensive for most people (see also "personalized" cancer treatments at $1 - 2 million). Hard to say if functional antigen-free islet cell lines can be developed.
Anecdotally, my wife briefly had diabetes and is now on immunosuppressants, and the immunosuppressants are less irritating than the daily insulin and glucose monitoring were. I’m not sure what the...
Anecdotally, my wife briefly had diabetes and is now on immunosuppressants, and the immunosuppressants are less irritating than the daily insulin and glucose monitoring were. I’m not sure what the relative costs are since in Canada we don’t directly pay either way.
It really depends on the immunosuppressants needed. I don't know what your wife was prescribed, but there are targeted immunosuppressants which don't require life-changing precautions or cause...
It really depends on the immunosuppressants needed. I don't know what your wife was prescribed, but there are targeted immunosuppressants which don't require life-changing precautions or cause dangerous side effects. [I'm using one; getting vaccinations and periodic lab tests are the only intrusive requirements, and pretty minimal at that.]
I can't read the full text of the original paper, but one of the 12 recipients died of cryptococcal meningitis. That suggests they're using tacrolimus or something similarly potent for organ rejection suppression. Those drugs require truly life-altering levels of medical monitoring for cancer and precautions against infection. They can reduce life-expectancy to a degree that's only justified by the immediate risk of death without organ transplant.
I know people living with brittle Type I diabetes, and it's hellish. But not immediately fatal. Current insulin pump + continuous glucose monitor technologies can maintain safe blood glucose levels. As described, it's questionable that this stem cell treatment has benefits that conclusively outweigh the risks.
I am no expert and have no direct experience, but it's my understanding that more heart transplant recipients die as a result of the immunosuppressants than organ rejection. So if true, that...
That suggests they're using tacrolimus or something similarly potent for organ rejection suppression. Those drugs require truly life-altering levels of medical monitoring for cancer and precautions against infection. They can reduce life-expectancy to a degree that's only justified by the immediate risk of death without organ transplant.
I am no expert and have no direct experience, but it's my understanding that more heart transplant recipients die as a result of the immunosuppressants than organ rejection. So if true, that dampens my excitement about this news.
On the other hand, I know at least two people who died of diabetes complications fairly young, including my aunt who died well before I was born. This was after already falling into a coma once that led to her recovering at a mental asylum because the regular hospital wasn't equipped to help her mental recovery. She had to completely relearn how to speak, among other basic skills.
She died over 40 years ago so hopefully medical advances mean such cases aren't as common, but... I can see some people deciding it's worth the risks if they have bad enough experiences with diabetes complications.
For those interested, the Open Artificial Pancreas System is reporting good outcomes in preventing glucose level excursions, and it's evolving quickly. It's not backed by pharma investments, though.
For those interested, the Open Artificial Pancreas System is reporting good outcomes in preventing glucose level excursions, and it's evolving quickly. It's not backed by pharma investments, though.
My youngest kiddo has T1D, and we've been closed looping with DIY artificial pancreas systems for a number of years. They aren't perfect, but it's allowed me to sleep better at night (literally...
My youngest kiddo has T1D, and we've been closed looping with DIY artificial pancreas systems for a number of years. They aren't perfect, but it's allowed me to sleep better at night (literally and figuratively).
We started with Loop for iOS, and are now using AAPS for Android. I'm happy to field questions if anyone has any.
Pretty amazing results from moderate sized human trials of a stem cell treatment for type 1 diabetes. 10/12 were cured completely, and the other 2 had significant improvement. The downside being a...
Pretty amazing results from moderate sized human trials of a stem cell treatment for type 1 diabetes. 10/12 were cured completely, and the other 2 had significant improvement. The downside being a lifetime of immunosupressant drugs instead of insulin.
It's great progress, but the only way it's going to be a viable mass treatment is if they can get around the cell surface antigen problem. Modified autologous stem cells are going to be too expensive for most people (see also "personalized" cancer treatments at $1 - 2 million). Hard to say if functional antigen-free islet cell lines can be developed.
Anecdotally, my wife briefly had diabetes and is now on immunosuppressants, and the immunosuppressants are less irritating than the daily insulin and glucose monitoring were. I’m not sure what the relative costs are since in Canada we don’t directly pay either way.
It really depends on the immunosuppressants needed. I don't know what your wife was prescribed, but there are targeted immunosuppressants which don't require life-changing precautions or cause dangerous side effects. [I'm using one; getting vaccinations and periodic lab tests are the only intrusive requirements, and pretty minimal at that.]
I can't read the full text of the original paper, but one of the 12 recipients died of cryptococcal meningitis. That suggests they're using tacrolimus or something similarly potent for organ rejection suppression. Those drugs require truly life-altering levels of medical monitoring for cancer and precautions against infection. They can reduce life-expectancy to a degree that's only justified by the immediate risk of death without organ transplant.
I know people living with brittle Type I diabetes, and it's hellish. But not immediately fatal. Current insulin pump + continuous glucose monitor technologies can maintain safe blood glucose levels. As described, it's questionable that this stem cell treatment has benefits that conclusively outweigh the risks.
I am no expert and have no direct experience, but it's my understanding that more heart transplant recipients die as a result of the immunosuppressants than organ rejection. So if true, that dampens my excitement about this news.
On the other hand, I know at least two people who died of diabetes complications fairly young, including my aunt who died well before I was born. This was after already falling into a coma once that led to her recovering at a mental asylum because the regular hospital wasn't equipped to help her mental recovery. She had to completely relearn how to speak, among other basic skills.
She died over 40 years ago so hopefully medical advances mean such cases aren't as common, but... I can see some people deciding it's worth the risks if they have bad enough experiences with diabetes complications.
For those interested, the Open Artificial Pancreas System is reporting good outcomes in preventing glucose level excursions, and it's evolving quickly. It's not backed by pharma investments, though.
My youngest kiddo has T1D, and we've been closed looping with DIY artificial pancreas systems for a number of years. They aren't perfect, but it's allowed me to sleep better at night (literally and figuratively).
We started with Loop for iOS, and are now using AAPS for Android. I'm happy to field questions if anyone has any.
Pretty amazing results from moderate sized human trials of a stem cell treatment for type 1 diabetes. 10/12 were cured completely, and the other 2 had significant improvement. The downside being a lifetime of immunosupressant drugs instead of insulin.