Stem cells from teeth could help combat diabetes

A new study has found that dental stem cells could offer a possible treatment for type 1 diabetes, it has emerged. It is hoped that the research, which revealed that transforming stem cells from teeth into cells that produce insulin, could provide a potential cure for the disease.
People who suffer from type 1 diabetes have pancreases that make little or no insulin, which means they cannot regulate their blood sugar levels without the use of insulin injections .
The scientists, whose work was published in the Journal of Dental Research, showed that dental stem cells could be used to generate cells that produce insulin when are exposed to more glucose .
It was reported that research at Stempeutics Research Malaysia and the University of Malaya had isolated stem cells from baby teeth, which were then cultured under conditions where the cells were able to turn into islet-like cell aggregates such as those in the pancreas that secrete insulin.
Peter Verlander, chief scientific officer of Provia Laboratories, commented “This work is further evidence that research into medical as well as dental applications of stem cells from teeth, though early, is steadily progressing toward what we believe will be a new generation of therapies for conditions that impact millions of Americans.”