A 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes started producing her own insulin less than three months after receiving a transplant of reprogrammed stem cells1. She is the first person with the disease to be treated using cells that were extracted from her own body.

“I can eat sugar now,” said the woman, who lives in Tianjing, on a call with Nature. It has been more than a year since the transplant, and, she says, “I enjoy eating everything — especially hotpot.” The woman asked to remain anonymous to protect her privacy.

James Shapiro, a transplant surgeon and researcher at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, says the results of the surgery are stunning. “They’ve completely reversed diabetes in the patient, who was requiring substantial amounts of insulin beforehand.”

6 points

Capitalist insulin manufacturers:

we have a permanent revenue stream for a live saving medicine, and we can raise prices and they still have to buy it because otherwise they will die

Chinese scientists:

seize the means of your own insulin production with this one simple trick

permalink
report
reply
10 points

When healthcare is a cost, not a revenue stream, those providing healthcare are inventivized to find permanent solutions instead of whatever generates return customers.

permalink
report
parent
reply
16 points

It’s nice to see the name Shapiro not linked to something vomit-worthy, for once.

permalink
report
reply
12 points

That’s amazing, I’m so happy for her. Hot pot is delicious.

permalink
report
reply
6 points

A dang happy article to read, I agree.

permalink
report
parent
reply
38 points

Always feels good to come across an uplifiting news story that isn’t also secretly dystopian. Cheers and Happy Friday.

permalink
report
reply
13 points

The dystopian part is stem cell therapy is illegal because… reasons?

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

It’s only illegal in some places. And even that is kind of weak. There are stem cell clinics you can go to in almost every large metropolis in America if you have the money.

permalink
report
parent
reply
10 points

Only embryonic stem cells. This is using induced pluripotent stem cells which are not illegal.

permalink
report
parent
reply
14 points

Fair point.

Effing religious nuts.

permalink
report
parent
reply
10 points
*

In the early days it was an abortion-adjacent topic, which made it an easy target to vilify to rile up support from single-issue voters. Now a large portion of society will hate anything involving stem cells forever, regardless of facts. Once the culture war starts, it’s hard to get it to stop.

permalink
report
parent
reply
4 points

The sciences are really my last bastion of hope these days. I’m constantly amazed at the rate of discovery these days and how they at least show a glimmer of hope for the future.

permalink
report
parent
reply
55 points

Stem cell research is something i’ve found myself interested in lately. It’s crazy the amount of things it’s been able to accomplish.

permalink
report
reply
26 points

Because like all things republicans don’t like it.

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points
*

Eh, gotta be honest though. Democrats (at the Federal level) love money. Pelosi’s latest Visa stock gambit, vaccines, etc. They use the Republicans to stay profitable. Repubs contrive a fear, Dems monetize it. Capitalists at their core. Not looking out for the People. Just wall street. Because they genuinely believe the machine is what keeps us all living our lives, and to love the machine, and why not make some scratch while you’re at it?

permalink
report
parent
reply
10 points
*

REEEEEEEE IT COMES FROM ABORTION BLACK MARKETS REEEEEEEEEEEE SOMETHING SOMETHING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

AND wE cAnT PrOfiT oFF yOu AnYmoRe

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

Honestly, when I first read your comment I read “I’ve been able to accomplish” not “It’s been able to accomplish” and thought to myself… yeah, look, this is good research with tons of benefit potential for the world but maybe these laws are in place because DIY scientists with home labs shouldn’t be messing with it just yet, I mean, that sounds reasonable. The meme provided also kinda could be taken either way in the “I’ve”, “it’s”

But yeah, it took only a few seconds to re-read it and find my mistake. I had figured you were joking with the “I’ve” thing to prove a point, not that you were really experimenting with stem cells at home. Either way, it was a fun mental rabbit hole for about 5 seconds. So thank you.

And I agree with you, we should be funding this type of scientific research.

permalink
report
parent
reply
6 points

Ah yes I love performing stem cell transplants in my garage

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

Yeah, exactly, my brain substituting in the change of two letters and reading it like that caused a double take, especially because the last sentence was where it happened it made the comment feel more like a punchline than a statement.

I also found it interesting in how changing just two letter in an entire comment could change the whole meaning of the comment in my brain.

permalink
report
parent
reply
28 points
*

You can thank dubya for vetoing that

permalink
report
parent
reply
15 points

Every sperm is sacred.

Or something.

/s

permalink
report
parent
reply
9 points

Only embryonic stem cells were because of Bush. America now uses induced pluripotent stem cells generated from in this case the patient herself but can also be made from any volunteer skin biopsy.

permalink
report
parent
reply

Uplifting News

!upliftingnews@lemmy.world

Create post

Welcome to /c/UpliftingNews, a dedicated space where optimism and positivity converge to bring you the most heartening and inspiring stories from around the world. We strive to curate and share content that lights up your day, invigorates your spirit, and inspires you to spread positivity in your own way. This is a sanctuary for those seeking a break from the incessant negativity often found in today’s news cycle. From acts of everyday kindness to large-scale philanthropic efforts, from individual achievements to community triumphs, we bring you news that gives hope, fosters empathy, and strengthens the belief in humanity’s capacity for good.

Here in /c/UpliftingNews, we uphold the values of respect, empathy, and inclusivity, fostering a supportive and vibrant community. We encourage you to share your positive news, comment, engage in uplifting conversations, and find solace in the goodness that exists around us. We are more than a news-sharing platform; we are a community built on the power of positivity and the collective desire for a more hopeful world. Remember, your small acts of kindness can be someone else’s big ray of hope. Be part of the positivity revolution; share, uplift, inspire!

Community stats

  • 2.9K

    Monthly active users

  • 651

    Posts

  • 7.2K

    Comments