Xenotransplantation and Type 1 Diabetes: the Socio-Economic Effects
Biology Internal: Achievement Standard 3.2
“Integrate biological knowledge to develop an informed response to a socio-scientific issue” “Xenotransplantation: A Possible Treatment For Type 1 Diabetes”
What Is Diabetes?
Type-one diabetes is a severe disease that currently affects around 34.7million people worldwide. It is an auto-immune disease where the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas, these cells are the ones who produce the hormone; insulin. Insulin controls the special carrier proteins on a cells membrane and controls the amount of glucose that passes into the cell; this is responsible for your blood sugar level. Type-one diabetes is “characterized by deficient insulin production and requires daily administration of insulin” by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Because of the absence of these cells in type-one diabetic patients hyperglycaemia or high blood sugar levels are caused. Hyperglycaemia and “yo-yoing” blood sugar levels cause problems with eye-sight, kidney disease, and damage to the nervous system and heart problems. There is currently no cure or treatment for diabetes, only management of insulin and blood sugar levels through healthy diet and daily insulin injections.
What Is Xenotransplantation?
Xenotransplantation is defined as “the transplantation, implantation or infusion into a human recipient of either (a) live cells, tissues, or organs from a non-human animal source or (b) human body fluids, cells, tissues, or organs that have had ex vivo contacts with live non-human animal cells, tissues, or organs” for instance the transfer of pig islet cells into a human patient. Xenotransplantation was first tried in the early 1900’s but for due to rejection was discarded. It then re-emerged in the 1960’s when advances in immunology enlightened scientists to why the original transplants were rejected. Xenotransplantation has become considered as a better and more sustainable option for the treatment of organ
“Integrate biological knowledge to develop an informed response to a socio-scientific issue” “Xenotransplantation: A Possible Treatment For Type 1 Diabetes”
What Is Diabetes?
Type-one diabetes is a severe disease that currently affects around 34.7million people worldwide. It is an auto-immune disease where the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas, these cells are the ones who produce the hormone; insulin. Insulin controls the special carrier proteins on a cells membrane and controls the amount of glucose that passes into the cell; this is responsible for your blood sugar level. Type-one diabetes is “characterized by deficient insulin production and requires daily administration of insulin” by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Because of the absence of these cells in type-one diabetic patients hyperglycaemia or high blood sugar levels are caused. Hyperglycaemia and “yo-yoing” blood sugar levels cause problems with eye-sight, kidney disease, and damage to the nervous system and heart problems. There is currently no cure or treatment for diabetes, only management of insulin and blood sugar levels through healthy diet and daily insulin injections.
What Is Xenotransplantation?
Xenotransplantation is defined as “the transplantation, implantation or infusion into a human recipient of either (a) live cells, tissues, or organs from a non-human animal source or (b) human body fluids, cells, tissues, or organs that have had ex vivo contacts with live non-human animal cells, tissues, or organs” for instance the transfer of pig islet cells into a human patient. Xenotransplantation was first tried in the early 1900’s but for due to rejection was discarded. It then re-emerged in the 1960’s when advances in immunology enlightened scientists to why the original transplants were rejected. Xenotransplantation has become considered as a better and more sustainable option for the treatment of organ