Using gene-editing tools and advanced medical technology, a potential cure for type 1 diabetes is now in sight.
Researchers have successfully transplanted insulin-producing cells that survived and functioned for 14 months without being rejected by the body, completely without the use of immunosuppressants.
This has never happened before and represents a historic advancement in cell therapy.
What is type 1 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas.
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These cells are the only ones in the body capable of producing insulin. Without insulin, the body cannot regulate blood sugar, requiring a lifelong balancing act of daily injections, blood glucose monitoring, and constant vigilance.
People with type 1 diabetes have historically had to live with the condition as a lifelong, chronic illness.
No attack from the immune system
Cell therapy for type 1 diabetes is not entirely new in itself. For over 20 years, physicians have been able to transplant insulin-producing cells from deceased donors.
However, the ongoing challenge has always been that the recipient's immune system rejects the new cells.
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To prevent this, patients have had to take strong immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives, increasing the risk of infections and other serious diseases.
Researchers at Akademiska sjukhuset in Uppsala modified donated cells using the CRISPR-Cas12b gene editing system.
The technique altered the surface of the cells so the patient's immune system no longer recognized them as foreign. Without recognition, no immune attack occurred.
Twelve weeks after the transplantation, the cells functioned stably and produced insulin in response to blood glucose levels. 14 months later, the cells are still producing insulin.
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Stem cells are the key to broader treatment
The findings from this safety study were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, according to Dagens Nyheter.
The next crucial phase of the research focuses on scale. Because this was an initial safety study, the cell dose was intentionally small. To fully cure a patient, a significantly larger volume of cells is required, and donated cells from deceased individuals will not suffice for the wider population.
Future studies will therefore examine whether stem cells can be cultured in laboratories and differentiated into insulin-producing cells in sufficient quantities.
If successful, type 1 diabetes could transition from a chronic condition into one that can actually be cured.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.