Kyoto University Hospital is set to initiate a clinical trial next February to investigate a new therapy for intractable type 1 diabetes utilizing cellular sheets made from induced pluripotent stem cells. This innovative approach aims to transplant pancreatic islet cell sheets into individuals with severe diabetes in an effort to provide a simpler and potentially more effective treatment method that could potentially eliminate the necessity of daily insulin injections.
Type 1 diabetes results from immune abnormalities and other factors that damage pancreatic islet cells, leading to reduced insulin production, unlike type 2 diabetes where symptoms can sometimes be managed through lifestyle changes alone. Currently, type 1 diabetes treatment typically involves multiple daily insulin injections to regulate blood glucose levels, posing a significant burden on patients. The team behind this new approach, which includes experts from Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), plans to advance their transplantation method with the goal of practical implementation by the 2030s, provided that safety and efficacy are confirmed through the forthcoming trial involving patients with severe type 1 diabetes.