Researchers Engineer Stem Cells to Make Insulin

May 27, 2007

Study using umbilical cord cells gives hope to future diabetes cure. Stem cells taken from the umbilical cords of newborns can be engineered to produce insulin and may someday be used to treat diabetes, U.S. and British researchers reported on Friday. They said they were able to first grow large numbers of the stem cells and then direct them to resemble the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas that are damaged in diabetes. (CNN)