Posted by Al Gordon on February 29, 2000 at 10:07:24:
In Reply to: Re: U.S. team reversed mouse diabetes with stem cells posted by Scott R. King on February 28, 2000 at 19:13:23:
Scott,
I agree that the autoimmune process will continue in the presence of new islets grown endogenously from precursor cells (one of the advantages of pig islets is that both the cells and the insulin they release will be sufficiently different from their human counterparts that diabetic autoimmunity may not see them as the enemy).
However, isn't it fair to say that autoimmunity is generally a slow, weak process, requiring years to totally destroy the islet mass? In other words, it may be possible to repeatedly administer the neogenesis agent and maintain a rate of islet regeneration that is much greater than the rate of autoimmune destruction.
Since we still have not demonstrated any islet neogenesis in large animals (to my knowledge), all this may be idle speculation. On the other hand, I don't think that the persistence of autoimmunity necessarily undermines the potential of islet regeneration from precursor cells.
Al