A cure for diabetes?

摘要

In November 2004, chartered accountant and former BDO Stoy Hayward partner Richard Lane became the UK's first person with diabetes to successfully stop his insulin injections after a series of experimental operations known as islet cell transplants (Accountancy, April, p141).The operations were carried out at King's College Hospital, London, by a team led by Stephanie Amiel, professor of diabetes, and Mr Nigel Heaton, consultant liver transplant surgeon. Lane, now 61, developed diabetes in his early 30s and was dependent on insulin from the start. This didn't prevent him from pursuing a successful professional career, or from taking part in sport and fathering two healthy children. But insulin injections are a hassle as well as a pain. A fraction too much insulin could send Lane's blood sugar levels too low, causing profound sweating, mood swings, headaches, and even unconsciousness - the dreaded hypoglycaemic attack or 'hypo'.