Brasilia, Brazil, Jul 22, 2008 / 17:12 pm
Brazilian media outlets are reporting that a study using adult stem cells to cure “type one” diabetes has been put on hold for two years by the country’s Ministry of Health department.
According to pro-life sources, lobbyists who support the use of embryonic stem cells are blocking what could be successful research with adult stem cells. The newspaper Gazeta de Ribeirao reported that the study is being paralyzed by the Commission on Ethics in Research for the Ministry of Health in Brasilia, which has not yet granted approval for the research.
The research would be carried out by experts at the University of Sao Paulo.
According to one of the researchers, endocrinologist Carlos Eduardo Barra Couri, the procedure doctors want to try is revolutionary, economical and more comfortable for type 1 diabetes patients. The treatment is based on the use of adult stem cells, not embryonic stem cells, and is designed to regenerate the pancreas and prevent auto-immune rejection.