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The article reports on the results of research which was conducted in an effort to determine C-peptide levels after autologous nonmyeloblative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with newly diagnosed type one diabetes mellitus during a longer follow-up. Researchers conducted a prospective phase 1/2 study of 23 patients with type one diabetes mellitus. They found that after a mean follow-up of 29.8 months following stem cell transplantation in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes, C-peptide levels increased significantly and the majority of patients achieved insulin dependence and good glycemic control.

The article presents a clinical research study that examined the safety and metabolic effects of high-dose immunosuppression followed by autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHST) in patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus, which is the result of a cell-mediated autoimmune attack against pancreatic beta cells. The authors concluded that high-dose immunosuppression and AHST were performed with acceptable toxicity. Beta cell function was increased in almost all patients with AHST, which also induced prolonged insulin independence in the majority of patients.

A reply from Drs. Julio C. Voltarelli and Carlos E.B. Couri is presented in response to a letter to the editor about their article "Autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoiectic stem cell transplantation in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus."