The study Researchers at the biotech firm Novocell report the first successful use of human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) in treating a disease--diabetes--in mice. After generating HESCs from excess fertility-clinic embryos, the scientists cultured the cells for 12 days in a medium that directed them to become pancreatic cells. These were transplanted into mice whose own pancreatic cells had been deliberately destroyed, making them insulin-deficient. Within 45 days, new cells began producing fresh insulin.
What this means for us It's just a first step. In humans with Type 1 diabetes, the body destroys pancreatic cells, so the stem cells might be...
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