Currently, close to 30 million people in the United States have diabetes. While treatment for this disease has come a long way, the condition still makes it difficult for the sufferer’s pancreas to produce insulin.

1. Could the Cure for Diabetes Be Found In Pigs?
Currently, close to 30 million people in the United States have diabetes.
While treatment for this disease has come a long way, the condition still
makes it difficult for the sufferer’s pancreas to produce insulin. This
requires many people to seek out an organ transplant for survival –
currently, over 115,000 people in the United States are in need of an organ
transplant. But, sadly, severe shortages in available organs force patients
to wait a very long time before they are able to receive the replacements
they need; some lose their lives while they are waiting.
However, Japanese and American researchers believe that they are on their way to solving this problem
once and for all, treading into new territory that was once the stuff of science-fiction movies. While
previous studies have already shown astonishing success when pig cells were injected into human
diabetic patients, researchers now claim to be close to growing entirely functional human organs inside
the bodies of pig hosts.
Diabetes – Controversial Research Provides Hope
Although controversial, the science of cloning may one day be able to help cure diabetes, eliminating
the desperation of people on the organ donor waiting list. Experts at the Centre for Stem Cell Biology
and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Tokyo believe that, with more research, they are close to
generating functional human organs using the same technique they have applied to animals.
The researchers injected stem cells taken from rats into the embryos of mice that were unable to grow
their own pancreas. When the mice grew, they developed a fully functional pancreas and, as adults, had
no signs of diabetes. The scientists believe that almost any organ could be produced in this way. If the
experiment was conducted using human stem cells, it could potentially produce a way of treating
diabetic patients by providing a replacement pancreas.
The Role of Pigs
For ethical reasons, humans are not an option when it comes to this type of research experiment – but,
because of our genetic similarities, pigs may just be. Scientists have already been able to produce pigs
that can generate human blood. They did this by injecting human blood cells into a pig fetus. Essentially,
scientists are now saying that it is possible that, one day, human organs could be grown inside pigs in a
similar fashion, to then be used in transplant operations.
This isn’t the first time scientists have looked at pigs as a way to help humans cure diabetes. A few years
ago in New Zealand, at least a dozen people had pig cells injected into them to help control their type-1
diabetes. Two of the patients reported that they were soon able to completely stop their use of injected
insulin. Eight others were able to stop the usage of insulin for several months at a time. A remaining few
were more concerned that this treatment could lead to the transmission of viruses from pigs, and so
refused to participate in the study. Australia put a ban on the practice of pig cell injections; however,
that ban has now been lifted. Scientists in New Zealand say that all animals must be free of disease
before being considered for such studies.

2. In the United States, the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic have joined forces to find a cure
for diabetes. Researchers at the University believe that pigs have genetic characteristics that are
“remarkably” similar to human beings. The University and the Mayo Clinic are now involved in two
experiments in their quest to fight the disease. One study is taking cells from pigs raised in germ-free
pens, while the other study uses cells from human skin. The University researchers say there is potential
that, one day, pigs could provide an unlimited supply of pancreatic insulin-producing cells to diabetic
patients.
While optimistic about the future role that pigs will play in fighting diabetes, researchers admit that
there is a lot of work to be done, and federal support will be required before humans can reap any
possible benefits.