Diabetes is a chronic disease that both reduces life expectancy and reduces quality of life among the afflicted.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 29.1 million people or 9.3% of the U.S. population has diabetes, including an estimated 8.1 million who are undiagnosed. According to the American Diabetes Association, the “2012 cost of this disease in the U.S. was $245 billion per annum or approximately $500,000 every minute.”

Additionally, nearly 90% of those patients are afflicted by type 2 or “insulin resistant” diabetes. Specifically, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 90% of people around the world who are afflicted by diabetes suffer from type 2 diabetes.

Therefore, progress with a cell therapy based approach for the treatment diabetes would represent a global medical breakthrough. [Read more…]