Health Information That We All Can Jump For Joy Over

Well, we know diseases do not take a holiday and holidays can be difficult for those who suffer.

But, on Sunday in the New York Times, a front-page article caught my eye, “A Cure for Severe Diabetes?” An Ohio man who suffered severe Type I diabetes has been cured of the disease! Doctors, researchers, scientists from all over are mystified and elated. 

Doctor Melton, a Harvard University Biologist embarked on a 30-year quest in 1991 to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes when his 6-month-old baby boy was diagnosed with it and four years later his 4-year-old daughter was also diagnosed with it. Dr. Melton converted stem cells with his staff to islet cells. The project cost more than $50 million. The challenge over 20 years was how to figure out the sequencing of chemical messages to turn stem cells into islet cells.

And how even to make islet cells was a concern. Dr. Melton practiced at Semma, a company he founded in 2014. He knew to make the drug he would need a clinical trial and money to make this happen. Dr. Melton ended up taking his islet cells to Vertex and Vertex acquired Semma. Vertex must now make the islet cells in mass and develop a clinical trial. 

The industry is extremely elated for Brian Shelton who is 64 and the first person cured of Type I diabetes. Brian’s body is now making its own insulin and controls it. Brian got an infusion of islet cells. Lots of questions remain, like how long will this last? Do people need ongoing infusions? Vertex will soon have answers to these and other questions because the company is now seeking people with Type I diabetes to be in the clinical trial. If you have Type I diabetes, you might want to contact Vertex.

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