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An Ohio man appears to have been cured of his Type 1 diabetes after participating in an early-stage clinical trial of a stem cell treatment by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: If ultimately successful, the development could offer hope to millions of Americans who suffer the life-altering symptoms of the disease.
- In June, Brian Shelton, 64, got an infusion of cells grown from stem cells that mimicked the insulin-producing pancreas cells his body lacked.
- "We've been looking for something like this to happen literally for decades," said Irl Hirsch, a diabetes expert at the University of Washington who was not involved in the research, per the New York Times.
But, but, but: The results are still early and have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Experts say they want to see the study replicated, see if there are unanticipated adverse events and if the treatment will last a lifetime, per the New York Times.