Doctors say that transplantation is the only treatment that can potentially cure diabetes and its complications, among them heart problems.
"Everybody thought, this is how we'll cure diabetes," Dr. Robertson said.
This was an approach which did not actually cure diabetes, it merely extended life by a limited period.
The treatment cannot cure diabetes because patients have already lost too many islet cells by the time of diagnosis.
A pioneering biotechnology company claims its cells can cure diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
"It's like trying to cure diabetes by burning the sugar cane fields," he added.
Nobody knows whether stem cells will eventually cure diabetes or liberate injured people from their wheelchairs.
Focused efforts to cure diabetes are urgently needed.
The surgery delivers structural and hormonal changes which can potentially cure diabetes.
If the promising results of animal experiments are borne out, this technology could be used to cure diabetes.