Chinese scientists and doctors have recently made a major medical breakthrough. They have reportedly cured a patient of diabetes using cell therapy for the first time.
The patient is a 59-year-old man who had type 2 diabetes for 25 years. His diabetes caused serious health problems. In 2017, he had a kidney transplant. Despite this, he lost most of his pancreatic islet function. This function is important for controlling blood sugar levels. He required multiple insulin shots every day.
“I think this study represents an important advance in the field of cell therapy for diabetes,” said Timothy Kieffer, a professor at the University of British Columbia, in speaking with the South China Morning Post.
Treating diabetes with peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Researchers worldwide are looking into islet transplants as a promising option for treating diabetes. They’re mainly focused on making islet-like cells from human stem cells. After more than ten years of hard work, the Chinese team has made significant progress.
In July 2021, the patient had a cell transplant. Just eleven weeks later, he didn’t need external insulin anymore. Within a year, he didn’t need oral medication to control his blood sugar levels either.
The team, led by Yin Hao from Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, used the patient’s peripheral blood mononuclear cells. They changed these cells into “seed cells” and made pancreatic islet tissue in a lab setting, according to Interesting Engineering.
Yin emphasized that this breakthrough is a major step forward in regenerative medicine. This field uses the body’s own ability to heal itself to treat diseases.
Difficulty in translating stem cells into high-quality insulin-producing cells
One common challenge in medical research is getting stem cells to transform into high-quality insulin-producing cells in large quantities for treatment. In a recent study, published in Stem Cell Research & Therapy, a group of diabetes researchers, led by Kieffer, looked into ways to improve how we make these cells on a large scale.
They pinpointed the vital things to watch for in ensuring the cells are of good quality during the production process. Their discoveries provide useful ideas on making lots of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived pancreatic cells and suggest ways to make the production process more consistent.
While Kieffer’s team has previously shown in tests that stem cell-derived islets could work for treating type 2 diabetes, Yin’s report is the “first proof in humans,” according to Kieffer.
Kieffer told the South China Morning Post that if this cell therapy approach works, “it can free patients from the burden of chronic medications, improve health and quality of life, and reduce healthcare expenditures.”
However, he stressed that we need more studies with additional patients following what the Chinese study found to make sure these benefits happen.
