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A
group of Belarusian scientists led by Professor Stanislav Tretyak has been
developing new medical methods for more than a quarter of a century now. It is
owing to their efforts that Belarus possesses an effective treatment for
diabetes. The methods applied in Minsk are not used anywhere else in the world.
So
what did Doctor Tretyak and his team invent? A unique method of treatment for
insulin-dependent diabetes, which necessitates regular injections of artificial
or animal insulin and leaves no chance of relaxation or rest. Diabetes sufferers
are well aware that no diets or scheduled shots may prevent serious
complications in future.
Over
years of experiments Belarusian scientists learnt to graft islet pancreas cells
of rabbits and pigs. Stanislav Tretyak got the idea to use animal islet cells as
transplants from Russian Academician Valery Shumakov, the director of the
Institute for Transplantation of Bioartificial Organs.
During
an operation a transplant is put in a tiny container that looks like a synthetic
tube and is inserted into a blood vessel. This tube has pores, and nutrients
easily permeate it without disturbing blood circulation. At the same time, the
material grafted in a patient effectively supports the affected pancreas. In
most cases, patients immediately obviate the necessity to inject full doses of
insulin, as it may be cut three times. Sometimes patients do not need insulin at
all.
The
method did not remain on paper, but has been introduced into practice: a total
of 18 operations have been successfully performed. But scientists still believe
it would be much better to graft human cells instead of animal cells.
Belarus
may be able to resolve this problem in the near future, Professor Tretyak
believes. Cell technologies is one of the key priorities of Belarus’
healthcare for the years to come, which is why scientists receive any sort of
support they need: Minsk’s 9th clinic will soon have a large laboratory to
raise human cells for medical needs.
When
we have this laboratory, we will be able to carry out operations of the kind in
many clinics of the country, the scientist said. “We have developed three
variants of surgeries depending on local vascular surgery facilities. The
transplantation of islet cells will cease being a problem for surgeons operating
on major vessels.”
Another
significant fact is that this unique approach that may drastically change the
lives of hundreds of thousands is based on brand new theories, which have not
gone unobserved by the world science.
“After
operations of the kind immunosuppressive actions are taken as part of the usual
procedure, in other words, medics suppress the patient’s immunity to protect
the grafted cells,” Stanislav Tretyak said, “which is quite dangerous for
diabetes sufferers, as the medicines are highly toxic and may affect immunity,
while our technology allows giving up this threatening therapy.
This
method is clearly “doomed” to success: in Belarus alone more than 70,000
people suffer from diabetes. “Not only Belarusians, but also foreigners may
need our help,” Stanislav Tretyak says. “People come from the Baltic States,
Russia, last year we performed an operation on a U.S. citizen.”
The
technologies developed by the Belarusian team have become well-known in many
countries. The Belarusian scientists closely cooperate with their colleagues
from Germany’s Lubeck; the Belarusians presented their developments in Hamburg.
The scientific works of Tretyak’s team have been approved for publishing in
Russia’s major journals.
There
is always room for perfection and development: the Belarusian specialists are
capable of growing cells of thyroid gland. They are now getting ready for
growing and grafting nerve cells to deal with disseminated sclerosis and many
other disorders. Moreover, specialists assume they may raise cells of the
pituitary body. The only thing that scientists need is time.