Dikhyaa Mohanty 
For the millions of Indians with diabetes, there is some good news. Using cell therapy, researchers in China have discovered a possible treatment for blood sugar, which is commonly regarded as a “silent killer.” The successful treatment of a man with type 2 diabetes is described in the study, which was published in the journal Cell Discovery.
The 59-year-old guy required daily insulin injections after fighting diabetes for 25 years. In July 2021, he underwent a novel cell transplant. The patient received a transplant of lab-grown copies of the pancreatic islet cells that produce insulin. The South China Morning Post stated that the man stopped requiring exogenous insulin after eleven weeks. The patient steadily cut back on oral blood sugar medicine over the course of the next year, and eventually stopped taking tablets.
The individual has been able to go more than 33 months without taking medication thanks to routine follow-up testing that revealed his pancreatic islet cells have returned to normal function. Despite being a case study involving just one patient, experts believe this to be a major advancement in the treatment of diabetes. It remains to be seen if Indian experts pick up on this and attempt to further it. Although extensive testing is undoubtedly required to verify the effectiveness and safety of this course of treatment, University of British Columbia researcher Professor Timothy Kieffer referred to it as “an important advance in the field.”
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) projects that by 2021, 537 million adults between the ages of 20 and 79 would have diabetes. By 2030, there will be 643 million, and by 2045, there will be 783 million. Put another way, by 2045, 1 in 8 persons worldwide could develop diabetes.
