The morality of stem cell research has been the subject of much recent debate, but the efficacy of its results is undeniable. And this research may have great implications for type 1 diabetics.
Remember that in type 1, the Islets of Langerhans, groups of cells in the pancreas, stop producing insulin - so insulin must be injected, or death will shortly follow. The only alternative to parenteral insulin injection has been transplantation, either of a complete pancreas, or of islet cells (as is being tested under the Edmonton Protocol).
Researchers from Stanford University suggest there may be another alternative. They have collected embryonic stem cells - from mice - and developed them into a tissue that, like the Beta cells of the pancreas, made insulin. Pieces of this tissue were then transplanted into diabetic mice, where they started producing insulin. The mice survived without further insulin injections.
The Stanford researchers were quick to point out that although what they've done has not been achieved before, they have not "manufactured Beta cells." Not yet.
Animal research is a necessary precursor to clinical testing of new drugs and surgical procedures on human subjects. There are a great many steps to take, and hurdles to cross, before a procedure such as this can become part of the doctor's arsenal. Research continues; there's a long way to go.