New deal for diabetics?
Daily insulin jabs could soon be a thing of the past for diabetics. The first British patient has been
cured by a cell transplant. But is this treatment right for everyone? In this 20 minute+ activity
students find out what’s involved and highlight the drawbacks.
Curriculum link
Homeostasis - pros and cons of cell transplants as a cure for diabetes.
11 – 14(KS3)
Cells QCA 7A
 Describe how cells are grouped to form tissues.
 Describe how some cells are specialised to carry out particular functions.
GCSE specifications
AQA Additional Science
Unit B2, Biology: 11.7 How do our bodies keep internal conditions constant?
 The blood glucose concentration of the body is monitored and controlled by the pancreas.
 Diabetes is a disease in which a person’s blood glucose concentration may rise to a fatally high
level because the pancreas does not produce enough of the hormone insulin.
 Students should evaluate modern methods of treating diabetes.
Edexcel Core Science
Unit B1 b, Topic 3: Electrical and Chemical Signals
 Explain how hormones act as chemical messages affecting target organs and/or cells.
 Explain how insulin produced by the pancreas regulates glucose concentrations in the blood.
Gateway Core Science
Module B1, Understanding ourselves: Item B1f Staying in Balance
 Apply knowledge that insulin controls blood sugar levels and that a lack of insulin causes diabetes.
Learning objectives
Students will use the terms cell, tissue and organ correctly, be aware of the importance of
respiration and know that blood glucose levels have to be kept steady.
Running the activity
The activity is suitable for able students in years 7 and 8 or as an introduction to homeostasis at
KS4. Page 1 introduces diabetes and its treatment. Students select and sort relevant ‘transplant
data’ from page 2 and use it to complete a leaflet to explain what’s involved in islet tissue
transplantation. The term diabetes is used in this activity to mean type 1 diabetes, which is the type
that most children suffer from. It is caused by the destruction of the cells in the pancreas that
normally produce insulin and can be managed by using 2-4 jabs of insulin per day. The
consequences of not controlling insulin levels can be serious in later life. The heart, kidney, eyes
and nerves can all be damaged.
Web Links
www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1433248,00.html
An article describing the new transplant treatment
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18524865.500
Details of the first live pancreas donation where a mother donated part of her pancreas to a diabetic
daughter. The pros and cons of this option are discussed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4725082.stm
Details of plans to transplant insulin-producing cells from pigs to cure diabetes.
http://www.abpischools.org.uk/resources/hormones/horm6.asp
A very clear description of insulin’s role with a full screen animation and graphs to show how the
blood’s glucose level fluctuates.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/diabetes1.htm
Another detailed description of blood sugar control.
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/home.htm
An excellent site with lots of links for those who want to find out more about managing diabetes.
Science upd8 is a joint initiative from ASE and the Centre for Science Education, Sheffield Hallam
University. We are grateful for core support from GlaxoSmithKline.
Copyright rests jointly with the Association for Science Education (ASE) and the Centre for Science
Education, Sheffield Hallam University (CSE). Teachers and others who have signed up may
download and use UPD8 materials freely within their school, but other usage, or any other
organization wishing to use the materials, should consult the joint ‘owners’ of the material (ASE and
CSE) through janehanrott@ase.org.uk