No complete cure as yet, but there have been several successful operations where Type 1 diabetes sufferers have had 'islet' cells (as in Islets of Langerhans, the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin in normal circumstances) implanted in their liver and were able to lead practically normal lives without having insulin injections. As with any transplant though, until these replacements are cloned from the patients own body, there is a chance of rejection, so imuno-suppressants have to be taken.
In the case of Type 2, the Canadians are working on a version of Byetta (a kind of insulin replacement, which I myself am on) that needs to be injected only once a week instead of twice a day as at present They have been having problems though as several people on the trial have developed pancreatitis, but they're confident that they'll overcome this within the next 5 years. There are also experiments with a version of insulin which can be taken orally, but these are unlikely to be available in the very near future.
In the case of Type 2, the Canadians are working on a version of Byetta (a kind of insulin replacement, which I myself am on) that needs to be injected only once a week instead of twice a day as at present They have been having problems though as several people on the trial have developed pancreatitis, but they're confident that they'll overcome this within the next 5 years. There are also experiments with a version of insulin which can be taken orally, but these are unlikely to be available in the very near future.
