To find a superior treatment for juvenile diabetes, scientists have turned to a young boy.
Seven years ago, when Liam was born, his parents Steven and Beth opted to store his umbilical cord blood as an insurance to treat potential future illness. Now that Liam has diabetes, doctors have been injecting stem cells taken from the umbilical cord blood to try and slow, or possibly even stop, the progress of his diabetes.
For the national pilot study at the University of Florida, there are seven other children undergoing similar transplants using stem cells from their own umbilical cords.
Patients with juvenile diabetes, if left untreated, can fall into a coma or suffer kidney failure. Insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed by this autoimmune disease. More than 1.5 million Americans, including 125,000 children are afflicted with juvenile diabetes. Also known as type 1 diabetes, there is no cure for this disease.
Cancer and dozens of other blood disorders are regularly treated using stem cells taken from cord blood. Easily stored in blood banks, the stem cell rich cord blood can be extracted from the umbilical cord minutes after a baby’s birth.
The lead doctor in the study spends much of his time of the phone cautioning parents about keeping their expectations realistic due to the anticipation the stem cells can be successful in fighting juvenile diabetes.
“It’s important not to destroy their hope,” said Dr. Michael, a pediatric endocrinologist. “Everybody wants to cure diabetes. But this is a pilot study. It’s unlikely to be the Holy Grail.”
But it has helped Liam. His body is now fighting off the progression of the disease. His blood glucose levels decreased after the infusion. Prior to being injected, doctors were saying he would need regular injections of insulin because his blood glucose levels were rising.
A urine test detected excessive glucose in his system back in December, soon after the test, he was diagnosed with diabetes. Insulin, a hormone that regulates the body’s metabolism of carbohydrates, including glucose, was still being produced by his body in small quantities. This early diagnosis and circumstance is often called the “honeymoon” phase of the disease.
“There’s no magic pill to stop the process,” said Liam’s father, Steven. “As parents, you feel you’re helpless. You see what’s happening to your child.”
Surfing the web late on a December night, Liam’s mother discovered the Florida stem cell study while researching juvenile diabetes. She thought back to when Liam was born and remembered the cord blood bank that she paid to store his umbilical cord blood.
She enrolled her son in the four-year clinical trial.
“We feel God was with us,” she said.
Before taking Liam for his transplant at the university in Gainesville, the family visited the Kennedy Space Center and Sea World as a treat.
“You’ve got to have some sugar with your medicine,” Steven said.
Liam received the stem cells in an intravenous infusion after having some blood drawn. The procedure took only half an hour to complete.
To avoid rejection, Liam