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Scientists are believed to have grown the kidney of a foetus in a laboratory by manipulating stem cells and this could come as a huge relief to patients suffering from kidney diseases or diabetes.

This experiment could turn out to be a breakthrough and ease the demand for organs such as the kidney, especially for a transplant, in case it turns out to be a success.

The experiment could take a few more trials to prove its efficacy and there is no reason for diabetics and kidney patients to erupt in joy in the near term.

If we go by the current trends, regulatory approvals could take at least five years and it may take another five years for it to become commercially viable. And to reach India, it may be another two years. So, there is quite a bit of waiting to do.

A research team at Edinburgh University in Scotland made use of stem cells, which are said to be the building blocks of our body, to form kidneys.

The new organs are about one cm in length, which is equal to the size of the kidney in a foetus. According to the scientists, these mini kidneys may grow into full-length kidneys once they are transplanted into a patient, though they cannot confirm the claim.

The kidneys were produced with a combination of cells from amniotic fluid — the fluid that encompasses babies when they are inside their mother’s womb. The fluid even surrounds animal foetal cells.

If a patient develops a kidney disease, his or her own amniotic fluid cells can help create a new kidney. The use of the patient’s own cell will also help do away with the problem of rejection.

Lead scientist Jamie Davies said, “We want to begin with human stem cells and see a functioning organ. We are working on how to transform cells floating about in liquid into something as complicated as a kidney.” He further revealed, “We have made good progress: we can make a foetal kidney but not an adult one.”

“Right now, we throw amniotic fluid away when babies are born. But if we preserve and freeze it, it could help build kidneys for every person,” he said. The amniotic fluid of a particular person will come to his aid only.

According to the scientist, this method will be substantially cheaper when compared to the cost of dialysis.

There are of course the beneficial aspects of this therapy. Like in the case of a kidney transplant, there is the risk of rejection, which will prompt a patient to scout for an entirely new kidney.

But in this experiment, there is no question of rejection as the kidney is made from the patient’s own cell.

However, scientists have successfully created the kidney of a foetus and not that of an adult and there is no guarantee they will succeed in generating the kidney of an adult.

There has been talk of stem cell therapy to cure diabetes and a non-injectable form of insulin, and now, scientists have developed insulin that is effective for two days (a thrice-a-week dose), paving the way to spare diabetic patients their daily needle shots but could become redundant as new forms of insulin and treatment for diabetes become a reality soon.

The new invention is likely to trim cost of insulin shot substantially. For instance, with the introduction of the new insulin type, prices of the older versions of insulin would be slashed.

Degludec, which is slated to become the most promising form of insulin and can be effective for 48 hours, has been tested by doctors from India, Canada, US and South Africa. It was found to be as effective as Glargine, which lasts for 24 hours.

With this development, will we one day see an insulin shot that could be effective for a week or even a month or a technology that will enable a device to artificially generate insulin on its own and will they become commercially available early?

Meanwhile, when available commercially (it could take around 3-4 years), this new form of insulin will need to be taken thrice a week by patients with type 2 diabetes, in which the body does not produce adequate insulin to use up the glucose in the body.

After Degludec was compared with Glargine (the daily insulin shot) at the phase-II trial, scientists told medical journal Lancet, “During the 16-week random trial, participants between the age of 18 and 75 years with type 2 diabetes and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C) of 7-11% were tested and treated at 28 clinical sites in Canada, India, South Africa and the US.

“We can conclude that mean HbA1C levels were the same across treatment groups and insulin Degludec allowed comparable glycaemic control to insulin Glargine and there were no additional adverse effects. This is likely to pare dose frequency owing to its ultra-long action profile.”

From India, Prof P V Rao of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (Hyderabad) and Prof N Thomas of Christian Medical College, Vellore, were part of the study. Doctors in India have also cheered the development calling it a “significant breakthrough.”

Despite availability of a range of therapies, many people with diabetes are unable to reach recommended levels of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C), which shows diabetes control over a period of three months.

“Insulin Degludec is a long-acting insulin in clinical development. Its features suggest that the risk of hypoglycaemia could be cut and clinical effectiveness may be achievable with three-times-a-week dose in people with type 2 diabetes who were previously naive to insulin. This could help with early initiation of and adherence to insulin treatment,” the study added.

But with treatments such as insulin pumps gaining ground (which are likely to be affordably priced in the near future), insulin shots could become a thing of the past, even if it means a shot after every two days or even less frequent.