Fight diabetes Artificial pancreas can produce insulin

Breakthrough in Diabetes Research: Artificial pancreas produces insulin

Millions of people worldwide suffer from type 1 diabetes, in Germany there are around 400,000. Patients have to inject insulin regularly because their body no longer produces this hormone itself. But researchers in Dresden have now been able to use an artificial pancreas in an animal model that independently produces insulin. Maybe this could help people in the future.

Measuring blood sugar levels and calculating insulin dose

In Germany alone, around 400,000 people suffer from type 1 diabetes. In these patients, the pancreas stops producing insulin. Those affected must therefore repeatedly measure the blood sugar level and calculate how much insulin they need to administer. Although a few years ago, German scientists reported having achieved first successes on the way to a vaccine to protect against type 1 diabetes, much more research was needed. Now a message from Saxony prepares hope: Researchers in Dresden succeeded in using an artificial pancreas in an animal model, which independently produces insulin.

People with type 1 diabetes always have to inject themselves with insulin because their body no longer produces this hormone itself. However, researchers have now succeeded in the animal model to use an artificial pancreas, which independently produces insulin. This could also help people in the future. (Image: 6okean / fotolia.com)

Artificial organ with pig cells

According to a report by the "Sächsische Zeitung" (SZ-Online), scientists from the Technical University (TU) Dresden have succeeded for the first time worldwide in planting an artificial organ containing pig cells in rhesus monkeys.

According to the information, the five-centimeter device in monkey replaces the insulin-producing pancreas.

As it says in the newspaper report, the donor cells enclosed in the art organ also worked for half a year. Thus, they began to produce insulin when the sugar level in the blood rose.

Bioreactor takes over insulin production

The heart of the system is a bioreactor that takes over the production of insulin. This was developed together with a biotech company from Israel.

According to SZ-Online, "insulin-producing donor cells are enclosed in the small chamber and kept alive by oxygen. All around is a membrane. "

"Similar to the principle of a rain jacket, insulin comes outside, but the immune cells do not approach the foreign cells from the outside," the newspaper article continues.

Human donor cells are not sufficiently available

As early as 2013, a team of scientists headed by Professor Stefan R. Bornstein from the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden temporarily implanted such an artificial organ under the skin of a patient.

The implanted bioreactor with human cells reliably produced insulin there for around one year, the university hospital reported in a communication in which Professor Bornstein said:

"We estimate that in five years the system will be a therapy option in the treatment of diabetes."

Now they came a good deal closer to this goal. "The problem remains, however, that human donor cells are not available to the degree required," said study leader Bornstein, according to SZ-Online.

But years ago, the experts pointed out that in their method theoretically "could also be used insulin-producing cells from the pig", "without being repelled by the human organism," says the earlier release.

Soon a therapy option in the treatment of diabetes

The current experiments were performed by the Dresden physician Barbara Ludwig at the German Primate Center in Göttingen with human-like rhesus monkeys.

Support came from King's College in London. The researchers now want to find out whether the results are also transferable to humans.

According to SZ-Online, the study will be reviewed by the Paul Ehrlich Institute, the German Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedical Drugs. Then it will be shown if clinical trials with patients are allowed.

"Pork cells in humans are new territory for the authorities," explained Professor Bornstein to the newspaper. But he is confident that the bioreactor can help sufferers in a few years. (Ad)