Dec 2024: World's first: stem cell therapy reverses diabetes
- g2case
- Nov 18, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 23, 2025
Dinesh Kumar & Rajni Tanwar
Stem Cell Research & Therapy
Volume 15, Article number: 487 (2024)
Diabetes affects millions worldwide, often requiring lifelong management with insulin or other medications. But in December 2024, a breakthrough emerged that could change the course of this chronic disease. Scientists announced the first stem cell therapy capable of reversing diabetes, offering hope for millions who struggle with blood sugar control every day.
This post explores what this new therapy means, how it works, and what the future might hold for stem cells treatment.
Understanding Diabetes and Its Challenges
Diabetes occurs when the body cannot properly produce or use insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. There are two main types:
Type 1 diabetes: The immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Type 2 diabetes: The body becomes resistant to insulin or does not produce enough.
Both types lead to high blood sugar levels, which can cause serious complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, and nerve damage. Current treatments focus on managing symptoms rather than curing the disease.
What Is Stem Cell Therapy?
Stem cells are unique cells capable of developing into different types of cells in the body. They can repair damaged tissues and regenerate organs. Researchers have long studied stem cells for their potential to treat various diseases, including diabetes.
Stem Cells can become almost any type of cell
The new therapy uses stem cells to regenerate insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This approach aims to restore the body's natural ability to regulate blood sugar, potentially eliminating the need for insulin injections or other medications.
How the New Therapy Works
The therapy involves harvesting stem cells, often from the patient’s own body or from donor sources, and guiding them to become beta cells—the cells responsible for producing insulin. These new beta cells are then transplanted into the patient’s pancreas.
Key steps include:
Stem cell cultivation: Growing stem cells in controlled lab conditions.
Cell differentiation: Directing stem cells to become insulin-producing beta cells.
Transplantation: Implanting these cells into the pancreas.
Monitoring: Tracking blood sugar levels and immune response to ensure success.
This method addresses the root cause of diabetes by replacing lost or damaged cells rather than just managing symptoms.
Clinical Trial Results and Patient Impact
The therapy underwent rigorous clinical trials involving hundreds of participants with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Results showed:
Significant reduction in insulin dependence in over 80% of patients.
Improved blood sugar control with fewer episodes of hypoglycemia.
Minimal side effects and good tolerance of the transplanted cells.
Some patients achieved normal blood sugar levels without medication after six months.
One participant, a 35-year-old diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 12, reported no need for insulin injections six months after treatment. This outcome marks a major milestone in diabetes care.
Potential Benefits Beyond Diabetes
Stem cell therapy may also reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications by maintaining stable blood sugar levels. This could lower the incidence of:
Kidney disease
Vision loss
Nerve damage
Cardiovascular problems
Additionally, the therapy might improve quality of life by reducing the daily burden of managing diabetes.
Challenges and Considerations
While promising, the therapy faces several challenges:
Cost and accessibility: Stem cell treatments can be expensive and may not be widely available initially. Becoming part of a clinical trial can offset the costs, but might put you on a wait list.
Immune rejection: Some patients may require immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of transplanted cells.
Long-term effects: Of course, more research is needed to understand how long the benefits last and any potential risks.
Researchers continue to refine the process to make it safer, more affordable, and accessible to a broader population.
UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center CIRM Alpha Clinic
Mission
The mission of the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center CIRM (California Institute for Regenerative Medicine) Alpha Clinic is to accelerate the design of innovative stem cell research and to advance the testing and delivery of safe and effective stem cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine.
About
The Alpha Stem Cell Clinic exists for one reason: to accelerate the pace of innovation in stem cell research. We do this because the patients who could benefit — those with life-altering and life-threatening diseases like spinal cord injury, cancer, Crohn’s and kidney diseases, and many other conditions — don’t have decades to wait for new therapies.
They need help, and they need it now.
What is an Alpha Clinic?
The Alpha Stem Cell Clinic is one of nine “Alpha Clinics” run by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state’s stem cell agency.
CIRM was created by the people of California in 2004, when 59% of state voters approved Proposition 71: The California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. Voters renewed funding in 2020 with the passage of Proposition 14.
CIRM aims to accelerate the development and delivery of gene and stem cell treatments to a diverse group of patients with unmet medical needs in an equitable manner — and to act with a sense of urgency.
With $5.5 billion in funding and more than 150 active stem cell programs in its portfolio, CIRM is one of the world’s largest institutions dedicated to helping people by bringing the future of cellular medicine closer to reality.
Who does the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center CIRM Alpha Clinic assist?
The clinic helps patients with complex medical disorders via clinical trials of stem cell therapies, as well as California-based investigators and companies looking to run such trials.
Patients interested in learning more about our clinical trials can do so via this link:
AMHC can open doors for you
AMHC can assist your pursuit to determine if stem cell therapy or joining a clinical trial is right for you. Whether it be Diabetes Type 1 or Type 2, or some other question about what stem cell therapy performed by qualified experts can do for you, AMHC will make contacts for you at no charge and point you in the right direction for a potential solution to your medical condition via stem cell therapy.
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