A team of researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (FMUC) is developing a bioartificial pancreas to treat diabetes through a microcapsule with insulin producing cells.
This project, which aims to supply insulin producing cells that are destroyed in type 1 diabetes, is being conducted by a research team headed by the Portuguese Raquel Seiça, as reported today by the center in a statement.
The team ensures that this advance "will allow patients with type 1 diabetes to fight insulin injections and achieve better glucose levels, reducing disease complications and improving their quality of life."
The results of the experiments carried out first in vitro and subsequently in vivo - as is called the tests that are done directly within the living organism - by transplanting the microcapsules to diabetic mice were "very promising."
"An increase in cell viability and insulin production and in diabetic animals an improvement of blood glucose levels and insulin resistance levels was observed in vitro," added the coordinator.
Advances in these scientific research have great importance in Portugal due to the growing incidence of diabetes in the country, a chronic disease that currently already affects more than one million Lusos citizens.
Despite having achieved great progress, Seiça believes that "there is still a long way to go, it is necessary to reduce the size of the microcapsules, which are even more stable, more viable and more functional to be able to be transplanted to human beings."
