In a groundbreaking study published in Cell Today, a 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes has achieved insulin independence just three months after receiving a transplant of reprogrammed stem cells derived from her own body. This remarkable breakthrough marks the first time a person with the disease has been treated using cells extracted from their own body.
Led by cell biologist Deng Hongkui and his team at Peking University in Beijing, the study involved extracting cells from three people with type 1 diabetes and reprogramming them into a pluripotent state, allowing them to be molded into any cell type in the body. The researchers employed a modified version of the reprogramming technique developed by scientist Shinya Yamanaka, using small molecules instead of proteins to trigger gene expression and offering more control over the process.
Using these chemically induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, the researchers generated 3D clusters of islets, which they tested for safety and efficacy in mice and non-human primates. In June 2023, they transplanted approximately 1.5 million islets into the woman’s abdominal muscles during a half-hour operation. This innovative transplant site allowed the researchers to monitor the cells using MRI scans and potentially remove them if needed.
About three months after the transplant, the woman began producing enough insulin to live without requiring additional injections. She has sustained this level of production for over a year, with her blood glucose levels remaining within the target range for over 98 percent of the day. “I can eat sugar now,” the woman told Nature, expressing her delight at being able to enjoy foods she previously had to avoid.
The study’s results have been hailed as “stunning” by transplant surgeon and researcher James Shapiro from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, who noted that the researchers have “completely reversed diabetes in the patient, who was requiring substantial amounts of insulin beforehand.”
While the results are promising, experts caution that they need to be replicated in more people and observed over a longer period before considering the treatment a cure. Additionally, because the woman was already receiving immunosuppressants for a previous liver transplant, the researchers could not assess whether the iPS cells reduced the risk of graft rejection.
Several groups have initiated trials using islet cells created from donor stem cells, which may be easier to scale up and commercialize compared to using a recipient’s own cells. Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston has reported preliminary results from a trial involving islets derived from donated embryonic stem cells, with participants producing insulin and some achieving insulin independence three months after transplantation.
