Pig cell success stirs cure hope
Published: April 27, 2007
Being injected with pig cells is not everyone’s idea of a health kick, but a Kiwi has stunned researchers seeking a cure for diabetes.
Ten years ago, Michael Helyer, of Auckland, was implanted with pancreatic cells from pigs in a hope that they would help balance his blood glucose levels.Today, not only are the pig cells still alive, they seem to be producing steady levels of insulin.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, have given researchers hope that xenotransplantation, or the use of animal cells in humans, could spell an end to some diseases.
Mr Helyer, now 51, was found to have type 1 diabetes when he was 22, but in 1996 was injected with microscopic capsules containing about 500 million insulin-producing cells derived from the pancreas of newly born pigs.
A recent sample of the capsules showed that many were still alive and some produced insulin. Mr Helyer has had to continue injecting insulin throughout the trial, but at much lower levels than before the transplant.
Because there was a slight chance of infection from the cells, the pigs used were taken from a population on the Auckland Islands, which had remained in isolation for about 200 years.The Auckland-based company that pioneered the treatment is hoping to follow up the success with further trials in coming months.
Because xenotransplantation is banned in New Zealand, the pig cells for future transplants will likely be injected in the United States.
It was not clear where Mr Helyer had his procedure, though New Scientist referred to labs in the US and Melbourne.
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