Diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. Glucose enters the bloodstream when food is consumed. Glucose is the source of fuel for the body. The pancreas produces insulin, which moves the glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat, and liver cells, where it can be used as fuel. People with diabetes have high blood sugar, because the pancreas does not make enough insulin or their muscle, fat and liver cells do not respond to insulin normally, or both.
In Diabetes Type I, the body makes little or no insulin. Daily injections of insulin are needed. The exact cause is unknown; genetics, viruses, and autoimmune problems may play a role.
In Diabetes Type II, the pancreas does not make enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal, often because the body does not respond well to insulin. Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells (ADSC) are isolated from lipoaspirates collected during surgical liposuction procedures. ADSCs have demonstrated very similar phenotypic and functional characteristics to that of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. ADSCs have been reported to differentiate down many different lineages including chondrogenic, osteogenic, adipogenic, myogenic, neural, and endothelial.
These cells are analyzed by flow cytometry for purity (=95%), and phenotype with a selective set of stem, stromal, and hematopoietic markers.