• Popular
    • Medicine
    • Radiology
    • Cardiology
    • Surgery
    • Nanomedicine
    • Military Medicine
    • Rehab
  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS
  • Submit PR
  • Log in
Medgadget
Medgadget
  • Popular
    • Medicine
      Etched Nanopillars Kill Bacteria, Fungi on Titanium Implants

      Etched Nanopillars Kill Bacteria, Fungi on Titanium Implants

      Cells Release Insulin in Response to Music

      Cells Release Insulin in Response to Music

      Microneedle Skin Patch Measures Cancer Biomarkers

      Microneedle Skin Patch Measures Cancer Biomarkers

      Enzyme Treatment Strips Mucins from Cancer Cells

      Enzyme Treatment Strips Mucins from Cancer Cells

    • Radiology
      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Portable and Radiation-Free Imaging with Magnetic Nanoparticles

      Portable and Radiation-Free Imaging with Magnetic Nanoparticles

      Imaging Technique Reveals Living Brain Tissue in its Complexity

      Imaging Technique Reveals Living Brain Tissue in its Complexity

      Wearable Ultrasound for Deep Tissue Monitoring

      Wearable Ultrasound for Deep Tissue Monitoring

    • Cardiology
      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      3D Printed Heart Muscle Beats

      3D Printed Heart Muscle Beats

      Wireless Patch Monitors, Paces Heart and then Biodegrades

      Wireless Patch Monitors, Paces Heart and then Biodegrades

      Photonic Radar Monitors Breathing from a Distance

      Photonic Radar Monitors Breathing from a Distance

    • Surgery
      Growth Factor-Loaded Microparticles Enhance 3D Bioprinted Muscle

      Growth Factor-Loaded Microparticles Enhance 3D Bioprinted Muscle

      Highly Precise Pressure Sensor for Laparoscopic or Robotic Surgical Tools

      Highly Precise Pressure Sensor for Laparoscopic or Robotic Surgical Tools

      Magnetic Tentacle Robots for Minimally Invasive Procedures

      Magnetic Tentacle Robots for Minimally Invasive Procedures

      Artificial Muscle Changes Stiffness with Voltage

      Artificial Muscle Changes Stiffness with Voltage

    • Nanomedicine
      Nanorobots Release Reactive Oxygen Species to Kill Fungal Biofilms

      Nanorobots Release Reactive Oxygen Species to Kill Fungal Biofilms

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

    • Military Medicine
      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

    • Rehab
      Growth Factor-Loaded Microparticles Enhance 3D Bioprinted Muscle

      Growth Factor-Loaded Microparticles Enhance 3D Bioprinted Muscle

      Brain Computer Interface Decodes Speech and Facial Expressions

      Brain Computer Interface Decodes Speech and Facial Expressions

      Semi-Automated Manufacture of E-Skin Sensors

      Semi-Automated Manufacture of E-Skin Sensors

      Above Elbow Amputee Controls Individual Bionic Fingers

      Above Elbow Amputee Controls Individual Bionic Fingers

  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Log in
  • Submit PR
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Maternal Cells in Child’s Pancreas: A Possibility of New Therapeutic Approach to Diabetes?

January 25th, 2007 Medgadget Editors Pediatrics

By looking into the cellular makeup of children with type 1 diabetes, researchers from the University of Bristol and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have stumbled onto something quite interesting:

It has been known for some years that mother and baby exchange stem cells in the course of pregnancy, and that these may live on for many years, apparently tolerated by the new host. The phenomenon is known as microchimerism, and it is still unclear as to whether the presence of such cells can be harmful to the recipient.
A Bristol team has looked for maternal cells in children with type 1 diabetes, an immune-mediated disorder, and found that around 20 per cent of these children have unusually high levels of maternal DNA in their circulation. An even more surprising finding is that some maternal cells have entered the child’s pancreas and are functioning there as insulin-producing beta cells.
The study, initially undertaken in the belief that maternal cells might trigger autoimmunity in the child, has now taken an interesting new twist, for the maternal cells might even be helping the child to repair injury.
In this study, published in the January 22 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr Kathleen Gillespie and Professor Edwin Gale from the Department of Clinical Science @ North Bristol in collaboration with Professor J. Lee Nelson and colleagues at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, found no evidence that the mother’s cells were attacking the child’s insulin cells and no evidence that the maternal cells were targets of an immune response from the child’s immune system.
Instead, the researchers found a small number of female islet beta cells in male pancreatic tissue (procured from autopsies) that produced insulin. Microchimerism is the term used when an individual harbors cells or DNA that originate from another genetically distinct individual. “To our knowledge a maternal contribution to endocrine function has not previously been described,” the authors said. “Our findings also raise the possibility that naturally acquired microchimerism might be exploited to therapeutic benefit.”
The study also found significantly higher levels of maternal DNA in the peripheral blood of 94 children and adults with Type 1 diabetes as compared to 54 unaffected siblings and 24 unrelated healthy subjects they studied.
Originally, the study of 172 individuals and pancreatic tissue from four males was designed to ask the question whether small numbers of maternal cells might be involved in any way in Type 1 diabetes. “Our initial theory was that perhaps, in some situations, too many cells cross from mother to fetus in pregnancy. Could diabetes result because the child lost tolerance to those cells because they are genetically half foreign? Our research appears to disprove this,” said Professor Gale. “It is possible that the maternal cells may even be helping to regenerate damaged tissue in the pancreas.”
The investigators are excited about the observation that maternal microchimerism results in cells that make insulin – these maternal stem cells could provide new insights into how insulin producing beta cells are generated.

Link…
Abstract at PNAS…

Medgadget Editors

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

Sponsored

Viral Vector Manufacturing in Gene Therapy and Vaccine Development

Health and Clean Air: Why Indoor Ventilation Matters

Health and Clean Air: Why Indoor Ventilation Matters

New Survey Finds Strong Consumer Preference for More Natural Hernia Repair Options

MedTech Outlook 2023 for Latin America Released

MedTech Outlook 2023 for Latin America Released

Packaging Compliance Labs (PCL) Celebrates Site Expansion in Grand Rapids, MI

interviews & reviews
UV-Free Air Decontamination: Interview with Sorel Rothschild, VP at Quantum Innovations

UV-Free Air Decontamination: Interview with Sorel Rothschild, VP at Quantum Innovations

EarliPoint Evaluation System for ASD Diagnosis: Interview with Tom Ressemann, CEO of EarliTec Dx

EarliPoint Evaluation System for ASD Diagnosis: Interview with Tom Ressemann, CEO of EarliTec Dx

Visually Guided Uterine Biopsies in Physician’s Office: Interview with Allison London Brown, CEO of LUMINELLE

Visually Guided Uterine Biopsies in Physician’s Office: Interview with Allison London Brown, CEO of LUMINELLE

AI-Powered Pain Relief: Interview with Claire Smith, VP at Nevro

AI-Powered Pain Relief: Interview with Claire Smith, VP at Nevro

MISHA Knee Shock Absorber: Interview with Anton Clifford, CEO of Moximed

MISHA Knee Shock Absorber: Interview with Anton Clifford, CEO of Moximed

Shelf-Stable Breast Milk Powder: Interview with Dr. Vansh Langer, CEO at BBy

Shelf-Stable Breast Milk Powder: Interview with Dr. Vansh Langer, CEO at BBy

"We Are Electric" by Sally Adee: Medgadget Interviews the Author

"We Are Electric" by Sally Adee: Medgadget Interviews the Author

  • Subscribe
  • Contact us
  • Submit
  • About
  • Back to top
Medgadget

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

  • About
  • Editorial policies
  • Contact
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Submit press release
  • Advertise
© Medgadget, Inc. All rights reserved. | The Medical Revolution Will Be Blogged.
Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Thank you!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email