Additionally, two research teams, one from Washington University in St. Louis and one at Harvard, more or less had similar results. The studies have been published in the March 24, 2006, issue of Science.

"Using a protocol that was identical to the original study, we were able essentially to cure 32 percent of treated mice, which was quite encouraging, even though it was less than the 67- to 92-percent cure rates previously reported," said transplant immunologist Anita Chong, Ph.D., associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago and lead author of the study. "We saw no evidence, however, of spleen-derived beta cells in the pancreas, despite using very sensitive tests."

Though the results did provide strategies for reversing type-1 diabetes in recently diagnosed patients from modifying their immune system, the studies were partially a disappointment for those who hoped to cure established diabetes with stem cells from donor spleens. The hope was primarly help diabetic patients grow new pancreatic islets.

Efforts To Replicate Controversial Diabetes Therapy Bring Partial Success