[Image of stem cell. Credit to Pixabay]

Researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) have demonstrated that stem cell-based treatments can reduce insulin dependence in individuals with type 1 diabetes.

The study was led by Dr. David Thompson, the principal investigator at the Vancouver trial site, Director of the VGH Diabetes Centre, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Endocrinology at UBC.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition by insufficient insulin production by the pancreas.

Insulin is essential for allowing glucose to enter cells and produce energy.

According to UBC and VCH, stem cell-based treatments have shown promise in controlling blood glucose levels and reducing the need for insulin injections in patients.

This stem cell-based treatment holds significant potential in the overall management of type 1 diabetes.

Further development of this treatment could lead to therapies that eliminate the need for insulin injections altogether.

Current treatments for type 1 diabetes include pancreatic transplantation and islet cell transplantation.

Pancreatic transplantation involves providing a healthy insulin-producing pancreas from a deceased donor to the patient.

Islet transplant entails isolating the dead donor’s pancreas and injecting them into the recipient’s liver via the portal vein.

While these two methods have been successful, they are limited by the availability of deceased donors and the necessity for transplant recipients to take immunosuppressant medications, which can have side effects.

The new stem cell-based treatment is called VC-02 and aims to replace beta cells – responsible for insulin production – with millions of pancreatic cells, including beta cells, derived from stem cells.

These cells are encapsulated in a device implanted directly under the patient’s skin, effectively functioning as a ‘small insulin production plant,’ according to Dr. Timothy Kiefer, a professor of UBC surgery and cellular and physiological sciences, and past chief scientific officer of Viacyte.

It is expected that this stem cell-based treatment will provide consistent insulin supply over the long term.

"Pancreatic islet cells grown from stem cells are packaged in a device to reproduce the inherently healthy function of the pancreas to regulate blood sugar. Given that we can actually create an infinite supply, this can have enormous advantages over donor-derived cell transplants, which are rarely available." Dr. Timothy added.

Clinical trials for this stem cell-based treatment were held at Vancouver General Hospital, as well as in Belgium and the United States.

Ten patients with no insulin production received ten treatments each via surgery.

Among these ten patients, three showed significant insulin production, while one exprienced an increase in blood glucose ranging from 55% to 85% and a 44% reduction in insulin injections.

These clinical trials aim to accelerate the development of new stem cell-based treatments for the 300,000 Canadians living with type 1 diabetes.

It is estimated that type 1 diabetes costs $29 billion to Canada’s medical system every year.

The research conducted by UBC and VCH has got global attention as a potential breakthrough in type 1 diabetes treatment.

The results were published on Nov 27, 2023.

The research team is currently utilizing CRISPR gene editing technology to investigate whether modified versions of the devices containing cells can eliminate the need for participants to take immunosuppressants during treatment.

The team envisions a future where individuals with type 1 diabetes can live without daily insulin injections and is at the forefront of providing these innovative treatments to patients.