Continued support for a new technique in the UK may soon lead to the eventual cure of diabetes. Six centers in the country have been receiving nearly £10 million in funding to offer transplant of insulin-producing cells.

Diabetes usually occurs when there isn't enough insulin to offset the high amounts of blood sugar in a person's body. The traditional treatment for this usually relies on the injection of insulin to compensate for either the low levels or the abnormal resistance of the hormone.

However, the new procedure, developed in 2000 and first practiced in 2002, now allows the transplant of islet cells from a dead donor's pancreas into the patent's liver. This allows the newly transplanted cells to produce insulin for the patient, thus allowing the person to go without the daily insulin injections needed to avoid complications brought about by diabetes.

The only downside to this technique is the fact that the patients will need to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives and may need a re-transplant to replace the cells which may eventually wear out from the procedure.

Thankfully, with continued government funding, more patients will be able to benefit from this technique. Up to 20 transplants are being planned for the first year, gradually building up to about 80 patients a year afterwards.

While there have been many other alternative methods which may help suppress the complications of diabetes, many scientists are hopeful that this new procedure will eventually lead to new advances which may permanently cure it someday.