What is diabetes mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus is a condition characterised by improperly regulated blood glucose levels.

One sign of diabetes is glucose in urine, indicating that the kidneys are unable to reabsorb all glucose from the filtrate into the blood. This suggests that blood glucose levels exceed a healthy threshold.

People with diabetes often use a biosensor to monitor their blood glucose concentration using a small blood sample.

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes

Diabetes primarily occurs in two forms: type 1 and type 2.

Features of type 1 diabetes:

• Often results from an autoimmune disease destroying insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
• Leads to no insulin production and high blood glucose levels.
• Typically develops in childhood or early adulthood.

Features of type 2 diabetes:

• Occurs when beta cells don't produce enough insulin or the body's cells resist insulin.
• Results in higher than normal blood glucose levels.
• Commonly develops later in life and is associated with obesity.

Treating type 1 diabetes

Insulin therapy is essential for regulating blood glucose in type 1 diabetes.

Treatments for type 1 diabetes may include:

• Regular insulin injections for most individuals.
• Use of an insulin pump providing continuous insulin administration.
• Pancreas transplants of healthy islet cells to enable some insulin production.
• Careful blood glucose monitoring and a diet balanced with insulin dosage.
• Exercise to help regulate blood glucose and insulin requirements.

Treating type 2 diabetes

The initial approach to managing type 2 diabetes involves lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, and weight loss. If these are insufficient, medications are considered.

Treatments for type 2 diabetes may include:

• Diet control to reduce sugar intake.
• Regular physical activity.
• Medications to increase cells' sensitivity to insulin.
• Medications to stimulate more insulin production in cells.
• In some cases, insulin therapy is necessary to manage blood glucose levels.

Using stem cells to potentially cure diabetes

Stem cells have the unique ability to develop into any cell type. Research is exploring the use of stem cells to create new insulin-producing β cells.

How stem cells could cure diabetes:

• Growing stem cells into β cells.
• Implanting these β cells into the pancreas of individuals with type 1 diabetes.
• This allows them to produce their own insulin.

This treatment remains in the research phase but holds significant potential for curing diabetes.

Producing insulin using genetically modified bacteria

Genetically modified (GM) bacteria can be used to produce insulin for medical purposes.

Benefits of using GM bacteria include:

• Reduced production costs.
• Capability to produce insulin in large quantities.
• Enhanced effectiveness.
• Lower risk of allergic reactions.
• Avoids ethical and religious concerns associated with animal-derived products.

Diabetes

This lesson covers: 

1. The differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes
2. Treatments for diabetes, including insulin therapy and lifestyle changes
3. How insulin can be produced using genetically modified bacteria
4. The potential for stem cells to cure diabetes