Canadian Company is Close to Finding a Cure for Diabetes
Canada has an amazingly successful history with diabetes research and treatment development.
Did you know that Canada has a long and glorious history with diabetes research? It was two Canadians, Frederick Banting and Charles Best, that discovered insulin. Without that priceless discovery that happened over 80 years ago, imagine the shape diabetics would be in today. The world has Canada to thank for that discovery.
What new developments for diabetes are coming out of Canada?
Diabetes research doesn’t stop with Banting and Best. Fairly recently, “The Edmonton Protocol enabled the successful transplantation of insulin-producing pancreatic cells.” Also, a Vancouver-based biotechnology company called enGene Inc is developing a new therapy for diabetes, a gene-therapy approach.
Clearly, Canada’s history with diabetes research and treatment development has been one of excellence, success, and innovation. This has some people questioning whether or not a true cure for diabetes will be born in Canada.
Canada may be the country to find a cure for diabetes.
With the rate that diabetes is developing throughout the world, it needs a cure, and the faster, the better. It is quite possible that that cure could be found by Canadian researchers, given Canada’s history with diabetes research. As a Canadian, that gives you a lot to be proud of.
What Canadian research indicates a cure for diabetes might be closer than we think?
The work being done by researches at enGene, the biotechnology company located in Vancouver, is giving medical professionals hope that a cure is on the way. What have the researchers at enGene discovered? “enGene scientists have constructed a modified gene that, when delivered and implemented into a person’s ordinary gut cells, could instruct those cells to produce and release insulin in a meal dependent manner.”
A research commentator explained that the process described above is precisely what a diabetic body is incapable of doing. The repercussions of this finding by enGene could be amazing for the diabetic community, as well as the world.
So what is stopping enGene from developing this “cure” and implementing it into the medical system? Money. Right now, enGene lacks sufficient investors for this gene-therapy.
While it’s true that enGene needs more investors in order for the new gene-therapy to become a possible cure for diabetes, enGene is on its way and is excited about the future. With the discoveries being made about diabetes, as well as the possibility of an actual cure, diabetics all over the world have reason to celebrate!
Sources:
http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/news/irap/2007/09/21/diabetes.html
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