Dear Ndlalane Health Family,
First things first, I owe you an apology.
I have been quiet for far longer than I intended. Life happened. Academics happened harder. Add a fair amount of personal stress, mental overload, and if I am being completely honest, a noticeable portion of pure laziness. The result was silence, and for that, I am sorry.
That said, congratulations to every single one of us for making it into a new year. No matter how you crossed that finish line, whether crawling, sprinting, limping, or carried by grace, you are here. That alone deserves recognition.
As for me, the academic pressure cooker has been on full heat. Studying the intricacies of human health has a funny way of humbling you daily while still demanding excellence. Somewhere between deadlines, examinations, expectations, and life outside textbooks, the newsletter paused. It did not end. It simply paused.
Now that I am back, let us talk about something that made me sit up, reread the data, and quietly think, “This is big.”
Welcome to the first 2026 edition of Ndlalane Health newsletters, I am your host DocSakhi. Happy to be here and I am grateful and glad that you are also finding the time to read this 4-minute-long newsletter. Stay curious and be in the Know.
Stem Cells and the Diabetes Breakthrough from China
In recent months, researchers in China reported something that borders on science fiction but is firmly grounded in real science. Cell biologist Deng Hongkui and his team at Peking University in Beijing took cells from a woman with type 1 diabetes, reprogrammed them into blood sugar-regulating cell clusters and injected them back into her abdomen.
Within the same period, not long after that, another team of doctors and researchers in Shanghai (Shanghai Changzheng Hospital with the Chinese Academy of Sciences) reported a world’s first successful case where stem cells were used to regenerate pancreatic islet tissue (which includes β-cells that make insulin), and that restored natural insulin production in a patient with advanced diabetes.
The patient was a 59-year-old man with Type 2 diabetes for 25 years who had lost almost all pancreatic islet function. Researchers took his own blood cells (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) and reprogrammed them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These iPSCs were then differentiated in the lab into pancreatic islet-like tissue capable of producing insulin, the β-cell-rich tissue normally found in a healthy pancreas.
The tissue was transplanted back into his body (autologous transplant from his own cells), avoiding immune rejection issues.
Using a patient’s own cells, doctors successfully regenerated pancreatic beta cells, the very cells responsible for insulin production, in a man with long-standing diabetes. There was no donor pancreas, no lifelong insulin dependence, and no chronic immune suppression.
In case I am loosing you in the jargon, let me try another way to explain to you. Blood cells were taken from the patient. These cells were reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells, known as iPSCs. Scientists then guided these cells to become insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells. The cells were transplanted back into the same patient. Within weeks, the patient no longer required insulin injections. Months later, blood sugar control remained stable. A Year later, the transplanted cells were still functioning.
This is not a supplement.
This is not a lifestyle hack.
This is regenerative medicine addressing the root cause of diabetes.
You might be wondering, but why does this matter, DocSakhi? You sound excited. Well, I am excited because, any positive news about diabetes is good news. Why? Because Diabetes is not just “high sugar.” It is kidney failure. It is blindness. It is stroke. It is heart disease. It is amputations. It remains one of the greatest global health burdens, particularly in low- and middle-income regions.
What makes this approach revolutionary is autologous repair, using one’s own cells to heal the body. This significantly reduces immune rejection, eliminates donor shortages, and minimizes long-term complications associated with traditional transplants.
Before we declare diabetes cured, we must remain responsible because this work is still in its early clinical stages. Larger trials are required. Long-term safety must be established. Accessibility and cost remain significant challenges. However, for the first time in a long time, the conversation has shifted from lifelong management to biological restoration. That shift matters.
Thank you for staying subscribed. Thank you for trusting Ndlalane Health. Thank you for allowing me the grace to be human while still striving to show up as your informational doctor.
This content is intended for educational purposes only and does not replace professional medical consultation.
Until next time,
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Sakhile of Ndlalane Health Newsletter
Stay curious. Stay critical. Stay healthy.
References
Zhou, Q., Wang, Y., Li, J., Zhang, L., Chen, X., & Liu, H. (2024). Autologous transplantation of stem cell–derived pancreatic islet tissue restores insulin independence in a patient with diabetes. Cell Discovery, 10(1), Article 45. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41421-024-00628-9
Chinese Academy of Sciences, & Shanghai Changzheng Hospital. (2024). Clinical application of induced pluripotent stem cell–derived islet cells for diabetes treatment. Shanghai, China.
Zhang, Y., Li, W., Huang, Y., & Xu, X. (2023). Generation of functional pancreatic beta cells from induced pluripotent stem cells. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 19(8), 465–480. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-023-00842-1
Shapiro, A. M. J., Ricordi, C., Hering, B. J., Auchincloss, H., Lindblad, R., Robertson, R. P., Secchi, A., Brendel, M. D., Berney, T., Brennan, D. C., Cagliero, E., Alejandro, R., Ryan, E. A., DiMercurio, B., Morel, P., Polonsky, K. S., Reems, J. A., Bretzel, R. G., Bertuzzi, F., … Lakey, J. R. T. (2021). Islet transplantation in type 1 diabetes: Progress and challenges. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(4), 330–340. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra2021680
International Diabetes Federation. (2023). IDF diabetes atlas (10th ed.). International Diabetes Federation. https://diabetesatlas.org
World Health Organization. (2022). Global report on diabetes. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240044221
Pagliuca, F. W., & Melton, D. A. (2018). How to make a functional beta cell. Development, 145(16), dev155963. https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.155963
