At the moment there is no cure for type 1 diabetes. The chronic condition can only by managed by constantly trying to keep blood glucose within a normal range. This is done by administering insulin and paying careful attention to things like diet and physical activity. Even when managed, type 1 diabetes reduces the average person's life by 20 years, and can often lead to serious complications, leaving many people hopeful that a cure is around the corner.
So just how close are we to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes? Research teams across the world are doing their best to develop solutions, but many procedures are still highly experimental. One method researchers hope to improve on is pancreas transplants, or the transplanting of pancreatic beta cells.
However, there is a shortage of available pancreases and pancreatic beta cells meaning that it is unlikely it could ever work as a cure on a widespread basis (there are around 300,000 people in the UK alone with type 1 diabetes). The transplants that have taken place so far also require the patient to take a large amount of immunosuppressive drugs, just to protect the transplanted tissue.
Charities and organisations dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes claim that a big problem they face is getting the funding they need. While there is a large amount of funding available for diabetes generally, a large proportion of this is used on type 2 diabetes research.
But all of this research, whether to find a cure or to seek improved treatments, costs a lot of money. With governments cutting back on budgets, there is a real risk that the discovery of a cure for type 1 diabetes could be pushed back further. It may still be a question of 'when' we find the cure, but unless there is funding available the answer might have to change.
So just how close are we to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes? Research teams across the world are doing their best to develop solutions, but many procedures are still highly experimental. One method researchers hope to improve on is pancreas transplants, or the transplanting of pancreatic beta cells.
However, there is a shortage of available pancreases and pancreatic beta cells meaning that it is unlikely it could ever work as a cure on a widespread basis (there are around 300,000 people in the UK alone with type 1 diabetes). The transplants that have taken place so far also require the patient to take a large amount of immunosuppressive drugs, just to protect the transplanted tissue.
Charities and organisations dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes claim that a big problem they face is getting the funding they need. While there is a large amount of funding available for diabetes generally, a large proportion of this is used on type 2 diabetes research.
But all of this research, whether to find a cure or to seek improved treatments, costs a lot of money. With governments cutting back on budgets, there is a real risk that the discovery of a cure for type 1 diabetes could be pushed back further. It may still be a question of 'when' we find the cure, but unless there is funding available the answer might have to change.
