Toronto, Nov 28: A groundbreaking stem cell-based treatment for Type-1 diabetes has shown promising results in a recent clinical trial, demonstrating its potential to significantly regulate blood glucose levels and reduce reliance on daily insulin injections.
The therapy, known as VC-02, aims to replace the insulin-producing beta cells absent in individuals with type 1 diabetes. The small medical implant, developed by US biotechnology company ViaCyte (acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals) and tested in a multicenter clinical trial in Canada, contains millions of lab-grown pancreatic islet cells, including beta cells, derived from pluripotent stem cells.
Describing it as a “significant step toward a functional cure for type 1 diabetes,” David Thompson, the principal investigator at the Vancouver trial site and clinical professor of endocrinology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), noted that the stem cell-based device could reduce the insulin requirement for some participants, paving the way for a potential therapy eliminating the need for daily insulin injections.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, reveal that the implant, roughly the size of a Band-Aid and no thicker than a credit card, is placed just beneath the patient’s skin to provide a continuous, regulated supply of insulin.
Timothy Kieffer, a professor at UBC and co-author of the study, likened each device to a “miniature insulin-producing factory.” The implanted pancreatic islet cells, grown from stem cells, aim to recreate the blood sugar-regulating functions of a healthy pancreas, offering the advantage of a nearly limitless supply compared to scarce donor-derived cells.
In the trial conducted at Vancouver General Hospital, with additional sites in Belgium and the US, ten participants underwent surgery to receive up to 10 device implants each. Six months later, three participants demonstrated significant markers of insulin production, maintaining these levels throughout the year-long study. Notably, these participants spent more time within the optimal blood glucose range and reduced their external insulin intake.
A participant in the trial showcased remarkable improvement, with time spent in the target blood glucose range increasing from 55% to 85%, accompanied by a 44% reduction in daily insulin administration.
An ongoing trial is exploring a version of the device containing cells genetically engineered to evade the immune system, using CRISPR gene-editing technology, potentially eliminating the need for participants to take immunosuppressant drugs alongside the treatment.
