The first phase of clinical trials of the vaccine has been completed he saidon Saturday. The second phase was likely to begin very soon, Dr CB Sanjeevi, Chief of Diabetes Immunology Section, Stockholm hospitals, Sweden, said in a press meet here. For treating diabetics among children, transplanting insulin producing cells was one possibility, he said, adding a Canada university had successfuly done this. Twelve children, who had `Type I diabetes', had been successfully cured by this method by the university, he said.

Insulin producing cells could be got from a dead person's pancreas, provided they were `taken' soon after his death. India stood first among the diabetes population of the world, followed by China, United states and Pakistan.

The Fifth International Congress of Immunology of Diabetes Society would begin here on Feb 13, he said, adding Nobel prize winner for Medicine in 1996 Prof Rolf Zinkernagel and chairman of the Nobel assembly Prof Hans Wigzell would take part in the three day Congress.

(PTI)