A study carried out in Argentina by a team of researchers from a Not-For-Profit Organization called 'Don Roberto Fernandez Vina Foundation' (San Nicolas- Buenos Aires, Argentina) demonstrated that stem cells implanted into type 2 diabetes patients, in direct form into the pancreas, improve the production of Endogenous Insulin, increase the levels of "C Peptide", decrease blood glucose levels and glycated hemoglobin levels faster than other treatments. 84% of the patients that had received the autologuous bone marrow cells could also abandon the drugs that stimulate insulin production or the insulin that they had been receiving previously.

There were no complications at all, demonstrating the safety of the technique, since the extraction, the cellular implants and evolution of the patients.

The most likely reason of this improvement is that the implanted autologuous stem cells regenerate the destroyed Beta Cells in the Islets of Langherhams in the pancreas of diabetes patients. It is also possible that they originate new Beta cells which produce the new Insulin.

The study was carried out on 16 type 2 diabetes patients - it is part of the denominated "Argentinean Protocol to achieve the improvement of diabetes patients with the implants "in situ" of autologuous stem cells, named "Te-Cel-Di-Ar" (Terapia Celular Diabetes Argentina)

The results of this scientific work carried out by the team lead by Professor Roberto Fernandez Vina MD and Professor Jorge Saslavsky MD, and seconded by Drs. Oberdan Andrin, Francisco Vrsalovic, Oscar Ferreyra, Angelina Classen, Liliana Camozzi, Janaina Ferreira, and Federico Foressi, were presented at the "45 th Annual Meetting of the American Society of Cell Biology" which took place in San Francisco, California, on 10th - 14th December, 2005. You can also read about it in the Scientific Abstracts Journal of the American Society of Cell Biology.

The work carried out by the Doctors and Argentinean researchers, has the approval from the Internal and External Ethics and Science Committees, and was carried out with the knowledge of the Buenos Aires Health Ministry. This design has more than thirty Nationals and International Consultants, and was partially funded with donations from the Childhood Diabetes Foundation, Colorado, USA, through the President of this Not Profit Association, Mrs. Sonia Cooper.

The research team had the scientific collaboration of the University of Gainesville-Florida State-USA, and Professor Bernat Soria's consultancy (University of Seville, Spain) who was President of the Spanish Diabetology Society and is currently President of the Cellular Therapy European Society - he supervised the Argentinean Clinical Research in July 2005 (by special invitation).

This cellular implant procedure was created exclusively by Dr. Roberto Fernandez Vina and his Medical staff. It consists of directly applying the stems cells through a catheter into the diabetes patient's pancreas through a micro puncture in the femoral artery in the inguinal zone with local anesthesia. The study was carried out in San Nicolas Clinic, San Nicolas, Argentina.

According to some American researchers and diabetologists, this is the most important step toward the cure of diabetes since 1929, when Drs. Banting and Best discovered Insulin.

This new therapeutic modality with the application of Stem Cells could lead to a cure or improve the prognosis of diabetes in more than 80% of patients. 92% of the diabetes patients in the world have "Type 2 Diabetes".

Background

The Medical Team that Professor Roberto Fernandez Vina leads has been the pioneer in America in the use of bone marrow cells to repair the heart muscle after Myocardial heart attack in 2003, and they were the first in applying Stem Cells for the treatment of chronic refractory coronary angina and heart failure in patients with chronic coronary heart disease. These scientific breakthroughs have been rewarded twice; in 2004 and 2005, by the Spanish Cardiology Society.

In January, 2005, the team implanted for the first time in the world, Autologuous Stem Cells into the pancreas of a diabetes patient with successful results and without complications. In March, 2005, they implanted for the first time in Argentina and in the Word in direct form inside in brain, Mesenchimals Stem Cells, derived from neurons in a patient that had suffered cerebral infarction.

Foundation Don Roberto Fernandez Vina
San Nicolas- Buenos Aires- Argentina
www.docmedical.com/fundaciondonroberto
www.docmedical.com/robertofernandezvina