LOS ANGELES — For the last seven years, 60-year-old Mark Canning has been trying to manage his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis that caught him completely off-guard.

"It’s a gut punch," he said. "It’s like, 'Oh my god, I can’t believe it.'"

Canning has been able to avoid insulin injections so far by trading in sodas for sparkling water and cutting back on sweets and breads. But it hasn’t been easy.

“It’s hard to sustain it, month after month after month," he said. "You want a bagel, you want a cinnamon bun."

In hopes of controlling his diabetes and possibly reversing his diagnosis, Canning signed up for a phase two clinical trial with Endogenex and Keck Medicine of USC. Through the clinical trial, participants undergo an outpatient procedure where an endoscopic medical device uses electrical pulses to remove damaged stem cells in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine, at no-cost.

By doing this, Dr. John Lipham — co-investigator of the study and a gastrointestinal surgeon with Keck Medicine of USC — said it can help make new cells and help patients better manage their blood glucose levels.

“It can decrease the need for diabetic medications," he said. "Hopefully, it can prevent the need to go on to insulin, which is sort of end-stage diabetes.”

After the procedure, participants' blood glucose readings are studied. The idea of targeting the duodenum, Lipham said, came from gastric bypass surgeries, which showed better blood glucose metabolism and regulation. Now, he’s hoping more Type 2 diabetes patients will give it a try.

In the meantime, it’s been about two months since Canning had his procedure.

“I’m hoping that we can lose a medication or two and live a healthy long life,” he said.

The clinical trial is looking to enroll new participants between ages 22 and 65 with a three-to-10-year history of Type 2 diabetes. Patients who qualify can be on oral medications without the use of insulin.

Those interested in participating in the clinical trial can email Christian.Romero@med.usc.edu.