First ever transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells for diabetes mellitus (DM) was performed by Prof. O.I. Smikodub and his group on December 2, 1991 in the I Medical Department of Kiev Municipal Clinical Hospital No.4, Ukraine.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) were isolated from the liver of 8 weeks old embryonic cadaver and transplanted to patient P. (born in 1960) four months after onset of the disease (type 1 diabetes mellitus).  In the following 3 months, insulin intake decreased by 55% and was maintained at this level for 9 months.  This discovery fostered clinical study of hematopoietic embryonic stem cells harvested from liver, spleen, and bone marrow of 5-8 weeks old embryonic cadavers in types 1 and 2 DM, in different clinical courses of DM and its complications.  The results were stunning: decrease of insulin intake by 30-70%, discontinuation of insulin therapy, decrease of the doses of oral antiglycemic medications, lower hyperinsulinism, normalization of endogenic insulin and C-peptide.

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