Latest news with #stemcelltreatment
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Treatment May Cure Severe Type 1 Diabetes, Study Finds
A dozen volunteers with severe type 1 diabetes showed clear improvements in their condition 12 months after receiving a revolutionary stem cell treatment, with all but two dropping their insulin therapy altogether. The phase 1/phase 2 clinical trial results provide hope for the 8.4 million people around the world with type 1 diabetes; an autoimmune condition where the immune system damages insulin-producing cells. While more extensive studies are required to see how long the benefits of the treatment can last, the new therapy developed by Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals provides strong evidence that it's possible to replace the body's lost insulin production using infusions of stem cells. Related: People with type 1 diabetes are dependent on a precarious balance of insulin therapy for their whole lives. If their insulin drops too low, cells are unable to make use of the sugar in their bloodstream, leading to a buildup that can damage organs. If insulin is too high, patients are plunged into hypoglycemia, which can result in a loss of consciousness, seizures, coma, or death. 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. This research was published in NEJM. Scientists Identify New Blood Group, And It's The World's Rarest Extreme Heat Wave Scorches The US: Here's How You Can Stay Safe Your Brain Has a Hidden Rhythm, And It May Reveal How Smart You Are
New York Times
20-06-2025
- Health
- New York Times
People With Severe Diabetes Are Cured in Small Trial of New Drug
A single infusion of a stem cell-based treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1 diabetes. One year later, these 10 patients no longer need insulin. The other two patients need much lower doses. The experimental treatment, called zimislecel and made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals of Boston, involves stem cells that scientists prodded to turn into pancreatic islet cells, which regulate blood glucose levels. The new islet cells were infused and reached the pancreas, where they took up residence. The study was presented Friday evening at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association and published online by The New England Journal of Medicine. 'It's trailblazing work,' said Dr. Mark Anderson, professor and director of the diabetes center at the University of California in San Francisco. 'Being free of insulin is life changing,' added Dr. Anderson, who was not involved in the study. Vertex, like other drug companies, declined to announce the treatment's cost before the Food and Drug Administration approves it. The treatment, said Vertex spokeswoman Dee Smith, could potentially help all patients with type 1 diabetes, although they would need to weigh the risks against the benefits of possibly not needing insulin. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
