Type 1 diabetes sufferers may no longer need insulin injections soon due to a ground-breaking procedure that appears to cure the condition once and for all.

Islet cells, which are found in the pancreas and produce insulin, are transplanted by injection into the patient's liver, where they develop their own blood supply and begin producing insulin.

The first successful transplantation in the UK was performed by a team at King’s College Hospital in London and took just 45 minutes.

A 61-year-old man, who suffered from Type 1 diabetes for more than 30 years, now no longer needs insulin injections after islet cells were taken from the pancreases of dead donors.

He had previously endured severe, potentially life-threatening hypoglycaemic attacks, which profoundly affected his quality of life.

The first successful procedure was reported in Canada but this has been followed by the King’s team, a collaboration between the Department of Diabetes and the Liver Unit’s transplantation team.

They have so far transplanted three Type 1 diabetes patients with pancreatic islet cells. The first two patients achieved partial success, achieving relief of hypoglycaemia problems, but still requiring small doses of insulin.

There are around 250,000 people in the UK currently suffering from Type 1 diabetes. The patients live with the constant need to be aware of their blood glucose levels and the threat of long term complications such as blindness, renal failure, amputation and cardiovascular disease.

Professor Stephanie Amiel, a consultant in diabetes, said: "This breakthrough is hugely exciting. The implications for the future are enormous. Eventually, this could mean the end of insulin dependence for all Type 1 diabetes sufferers. In its current state of technology though, islet transplantation is not perfect. We do not have enough organ donors, therefore we cannot extract enough islets to help all Type 1 patients.

"More research needs to be done to perfect the islet isolation procedures and the drugs we use to prevent rejection of the islets and recurrence of the diabetes. At present we can therefore only offer this treatment to patients, in whom conventional treatments are failing in a major way. However, it is our aim that ultimately all people with Type 1 diabetes would become eligible for islet transplantation and free from insulin dependence."

Consultant liver surgeon, Mr Nigel Heaton added: "This breakthrough in islet transplantation is remarkable. King’s is the first centre in the UK to achieve insulin independence in Type 1 patients. The research approach at King’s is totally multidisciplinary, with experts across specialities in diabetes, liver transplantation, cell isolation and radiology all working together.

"The result of this work will have far reaching implications, not only for Type 1 diabetes patients, but also in the wider area of cell research. We have shown that cell transplantation, with both pancreatic islet cells and previously with hepatocyte cells, can offer patients a valuable alternative to conventional treatments."