During a panel discussion on diabetes and stem cell therapy, Dr. Allen M. Spiegel, The Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean of Einstein, discusses type 1 and type 2 diabetes in detail and the potential role of stem cell therapy.

Stem Cell Research

Dean Allen Spiegel on Diabetes and Stem Cell Therapy

April 29, 2009 · At least 24 million American adults and children have diabetes and struggle with its many complications, including heart disease, amputation, and blindness. Scientists believe that stem cell research holds great promise in the quest for a cure for type 1 diabetes and provides a powerful tool for controlling type 2 diabetes. In a panel discussion, leading stem cell scientists and patient advocates came together on April 29, 2009 to discuss the latest developments in stem cell research and diabetes. The discussion, organized by the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), was open to the public and drew several hundred people to The Times Center in Manhattan.

PANEL DISCUSSION: Stem Cell Research & Diabetes: Realizing a Promise

Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into any type of cell and offer great potential for treating conditions ranging from physical trauma to degenerative diseases and illnesses caused by genetics. Einstein is dedicated to stem cell research and regenerative medicine as well as studying the bioethics of that research. Einstein opened an NIH-supported Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in 2005, one of the first such centers in the U.S., and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in 2008. In addition, stem cell and related research have been ongoing within the multidisciplinary Einstein Centers of Liver Diseases, Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Developmental Disabilities.