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Title: Stem Cell Treatment May Cure Severe Type 1 Diabetes, Study Finds

Link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/06/25/0...

A groundbreaking stem cell treatment developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals has
allowed 10 out of 12 patients with severe type 1 diabetes to stop insulin
therapy after one year. While the trial included some side effects and two
unrelated deaths, the results mark a major step forward and have progressed
to phase 3 clinical testing. ScienceAlert reports: The pancreas's islet cells
are responsible for maintaining most of our bodies' insulin levels. Donor
transplants of healthy versions of these cells have shown promise in treating
type 1 diabetes in the past, but multiple donors are required, and donors are
rare. So University of Toronto surgeon Trevor Reichman and colleagues infused
12 patients with islet cells derived from human stem cells in a treatment
known as zimislecel. The patients also received immunosuppressive treatment
before and after their zimislecel infusion. The islets not only produced
insulin inside their bodies, but they did so at safe levels, reducing the
patients' dependence on costly doses of insulin. "These findings showed that
zimislecel islet cells were functional and self-regulated appropriately," the
researchers write in their paper. The mild to moderate side-effects,
including decreased kidney function and the anticipated drop in immune cells,
were all linked with the immunosuppressive therapy. Sadly, two additional
participants died during the trial; one from an infection arising from
surgery and the other from complications due to an unrelated condition. As
there were no serious adverse events attributed to the new islet cell
therapy, the clinical trials are have progressed into phase 3. "These
findings provide evidence that pancreatic islets can be effectively produced
from pluripotent stem cells and used to treat type 1 diabetes," Reichman and
team conclude. The research has been published in the journal NEJM.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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