Diabetes and Stem Cell Treatment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diabetes and Stem Cell Treatment - Essay Example Stem cells in the treatment of diabetes play a crucial role due to their capabilities in differentiation, in the early stages of development, they can develop into any tissue found in the body ranging from body organs to full body parts (Pileggi, p.1355). Their functionality lies in the way they differentiate into these tissues. To ensure that they can turn into any body tissue their ability must not be lost through the differentiation process. This is because differentiation makes the stem cells into tissue specific cells (Burns et al 438). In diabetes, they are used to regenerate certain parts of the pancreas. To reproduce this vital part that is affected by diabetes, there is a need to modify the stem cells that remain in a patient’s body, in spite of the limited reserves (Holger et al 2). Diabetes is a disease that results from the autoimmune destructions of pancreatic cells that are responsible for an individual’s ability to control and regulate blood glucose (Marko et al 1). Diabetes causes poor blood circulation, heart disease, stroke, infection, kidney failure and sometimes it even results in death (Zhao 2). Due to destruction of these pancreatic cells, the body is unable to produce insulin and thus insulin is administers, however, the role of insulin is to regulate the levels of glucose in the blood of an individual. The destruction of the pancreatic cells responsible for the production of insulin, pancreatic islet B cells, has yet to have a cure. For long periods, scientists have been unable to find a cure as the treatment involves individual approaches that are too complex and expensive. However, in recent times, studies and researches have revealed of a possibility that stem cells can be used to cure or at least reverse diabetic conditions by restarting pancreatic function in an individual and, as a result, eradicate if or