Pigs being raised in germ-free pens in Western Wisconsin may be one of our greatest hopes for an actual cure for diabetes. The University of Minnesota has teamed up with Mayo Clinic to find a cure for diabetes during this decade. They believe that these pigs may hold great promise.

Except for the last 20 years or so, insulin from pigs was routinely used in humans to help control blood glucose. Synthetic, lab-produced insulin has now replaced porcine insulin. But one of the reasons pig insulin was used is because there are remarkable genetic similarities between humans and pigs.

The goal of the project, called Spring Point Project, is to raise pigs that are housed in special pens, which are isolated from human germs. These pigs would then provide an unlimited supply of pancreatic islet cells that could be transplanted into humans. One of the biggest obstacles to islet transplants is the short supply of available human islet cells.

Transplanted porcine islet cells have already been shown to cure diabetes in animals for well over a year. They believe the same results, but enhanced, could be reproduced in humans. The germ-free environment of the pigs housing would minimize the risk of transmitting any detrimental agents to humans who might receive the islet cells.

The researchers say that injection of the pig islet cells in humans could begin within a year but it would probably takes several more years of substantive results before the FDA would grant approval of the porcine islets as an actual treatment for diabetes.

If this research eventually proved safe and effective as a cure for diabetes, but would require retransplantation of new islet cells every five years or so, would you agree to the procedure? Post your comments below.

Learn more about islet cell transplants

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People with type 1 and especially parents of children with type 1 fear nighttime hypoglycemic episodes. To address this concern, Medtronic has developed a remote glucose sensor called mySentry.

The device allows parents and other caregivers to remotely monitor glucose levels and insulin pump status from another room in the house. If any of the built-in indicators in the device, such as low glucose levels, low insulin in pump or weak battery strength, fall to a cautionary level, an alert will be generated to the remote monitor. The mySentry system consists of a monitor with a color screen, a power supply, and an outpost that transmits information. The outpost enables you to receive the signals from up to 50 feet away.

The bedside monitor isn't cheap though. It currently costs around $3000 and only works with Medtronic's MiniMed Paradigm® REAL-Time RevelTM System, a combined insulin pump/continuous glucose monitor unit. But, for some it may be worth the cost; especially those already using the REAL-Time RevelTM System.

If this device were covered under your insurance plan, would you try to obtain one? Post your comments below.

Learn more about continuous glucose monitoring

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As 2011 comes to a close I highlight the articles I've created this month to help you better manage your diabetes.

I continue to be convinced that having knowledge about the potential health problems that could occur with type 1 is not bad news. I view it as motivation to practice what we know we can prevent or at least delay the onset of these complications. To that end I've created several articles that address some of these complications.

Over half of adults are currently living with high blood pressure. Having diabetes increases the risk of hypertension. But you can do something about it. This article on diabetes and high blood pressure will tell you what you need to know to keep your blood pressure in check.

Related to high blood pressure is peripheral arterial disease which can affect the blood flow to the legs and feet. Again, there is much you can to do prevent this from becoming a debilitating condition but you must be proactive.

What many people with type 1 don't realize is that high blood sugar can also cause common skin conditions. Virtually all of these conditions erupt due to consistently high blood glucose levels. The key is to manage your glucose to prevent these conditions.

For those up to the challenge, one of the best ways to keep glucose in a healthy range is to practice tight glucose control. This means you go to greater lengths to monitor your blood glucose and manage your insulin therapy in order to keep blood sugar levels in a tighter range.

Two lesser known conditions, Celiac disease and hemochromatosis are also linked to type 1 diabetes. Though they are not household words it is important to know what each of these conditions is about and the symptoms that accompany each.

If you haven't yet heard, the glycemic index is gaining a lot of attention in the diabetes community. My piece, called low glycemic superfoods, tells you what the glycemic index is, how you can use it and gets you started with some superfoods that are low in sugar and high in nutrition.

Finally, an article on what you can learn from reading food labels. Every person who is serious about managing their glucose needs a primer on reading labels with your glucose in mind. This is a quick start guide to that end.

I'd love to hear any of your comments about these articles or others that you might like to see developed for this site. Post your comments below.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued new guidelines toward trying to speed up the development of an effective artificial pancreas device. This is welcome news to people with type 1 diabetes who have been hearing about technological advances toward an artificial pancreas for years but are still waiting for a significant breakthrough.

The new guidelines allow for more flexibility in how clinical trials are conducted along with opening channels of communication between those in academia and those in research to streamline the testing process with fewer regulations to inhibit the pathway to clinical studies. This would include allowing data from clinical studies outside the U.S. to be used in the approval process. Currently, there are 20 FDA approved clinical studies specifically on the artificial pancreas. These new guidelines would hopefully allow many more over a shorter period of time.

The artificial pancreas combines current technologies for continuous blood glucose monitoring and insulin pumps to deliver insulin as needed. The goal is for the device to accurately read the blood sugar and automatically dispense the precise amount of insulin needed to keep the blood sugar in a normal range.

There is still no projected time frame for when an artificial pancreas might become available. There are still several key problems that haven't been solved, which include creating consistently reliable algorithms to deliver insulin in a variety of situations.

Do you think an FDA approved artificial pancreas will become available in the next five years? Why or why not? Post your comments below.

The pros and cons of insulin pump therapy

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