Adult stem cells made into insulin producing cells

For the second time in recent weeks researchers said they used cloning technology on adult tissue, rather than from a fetus or infant, to create stem cells that potentially could be used to treat a range of diseases.

Scientists said Monday in the journal Nature they created an embryonic clone of a 32-year-old woman with diabetes, extracted healthy stem cells from the clone, and then changed those cells into ones that produce insulin. The experiment marks another advance in the quest to generate patient-matched tissue.

The long-term hope is to transplant new insulin-producing cells back into a patient and treat diabetes, which occurs when the body’s natural ability to produce insulin is impaired.

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Read the full, original story: Embryonic Cloning Shows Promise in Diabetes Treatment