T1D Tuesday: Insulin Transplantation

Every November I retire my Monday Random Round Up, and instead trot out T1D Tuesday for Type One Diabetes Awareness Month. 

You can learn about Juvenile Diabetes right here, and even make a donation to further research here. 

When you hear the word 'transplant', what do you think of? Heart? Liver? Plants, even? For most of us, something as abstract as insulin doesn't come to mind as a transplant option. What even IS it, exactly?

And if that raises more questions than it answers:

And who's smart enough to figure out how to transplant a hormone? Harvard, of course. We know that T1D is caused by the body attacking the beta cells in the pancreas. Well, a pack of brilliant Harvard minds has figured out how to produce those beta cells, making them theoretically available for manufacturing and transplantation.

What does that mean for T1D patients? NO. MORE. SHOTS.

A normal life, free from injections, with a body that can regulate it's own blood sugar. In a word: Amazing. In fact, a University College of London Professor of Regenerative Medicine, Chris Mason, is quoted as saying "If this scalable technology is proven to work in both the clinic and in the manufacturing facility the impact on the treatment of diabetes will be a medical game-changer on par with antibiotics and bacterial infections."

...Whoa.

I highly encourage you to read the whole article on this research - It's pretty short and even in layman's terms so all us non-Harvard grads can understand. The implications are mind-blowing for the future of those with T1D. A cure is real and within reach. Let's spread the word and increase funding for amazing research like this!