Innovative Treatment Enables Individuals with Type One Diabetes to Generate Insulin Independently
Written by Susan Parker | Updated on May 28, 2025
Reviewed by Susan Parker
11 sources cited
Overview
Currently, individuals with Type-1 diabetes have various options for insulin delivery. While many still rely on syringes or pens, recent advancements now include inhalation cartridges, pumps, and automated systems.
However, none of these treatments fully normalize glucose levels, and modern delivery systems can be cumbersome to use, may experience malfunctions, and often lead to long-term complications.
Is there a solution? Indeed, the answer lies in eliminating insulin delivery systems altogether. Thanks to a groundbreaking discovery involving stem cells, this could soon become a reality.
Currently, there are limited options for replacing failed insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. One approach involves using cells from a deceased donor in an experimental procedure to restore insulin production in the body.
Although achieving insulin independence is not guaranteed, even for those who do, the effects typically last only five to six years. Additionally, patients must take immunosuppressant drugs for life. Despite these drawbacks, transplant recipients describe it as a life-altering procedure, allowing them to feel "non-diabetic" at last.
Given the scarcity of donor organs, it is clear that an alternative solution is needed. The initial steps toward this new solution may already be underway.
One in Five Can Reduce Injected Insulin
Stem cells are versatile cells with the potential to develop into various cell types, including insulin-secreting cells found in the pancreas.
To assess whether stem cell therapy could help patients produce their own insulin, researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health enrolled fifteen Type-1 diabetics aged between 36 and 56 in a study.
These individuals underwent surgery where small devices, 2.75 inches long and thin as a credit card, were implanted under their skin. Each device contained millions of lab-grown immature beta cells. Since this was a pilot trial, the number of beta cells was limited and insufficient for patients to discontinue insulin use.
After six months, the implanted cells not only survived but matured into insulin-producing beta cells, enabling the patients' bodies to sense blood sugar levels and release insulin as needed.
To evaluate the treatment's efficacy, researchers used a blood marker called C-peptide, released into the bloodstream only when insulin is naturally produced, not when injected. Healthy functioning was evidenced by blood sugar levels rising after meals, with patients spending 13% more time within the target blood sugar range. After 12 months, 20% of patients managed to reduce their injected insulin dosage.
A Significant Scientific Advancement
Since the lab-grown cells are derived from off-the-shelf human embryonic cells, researchers had to address immune rejection issues by using immunosuppressive agents - known to have serious side effects. However, they are exploring genetic modifications of these cells to eliminate the need for such drugs in the future.
The senior author of the study, Dr. Timothy Kieffer, expressed delight at the trial results.
“Our findings underscore the remarkable potential of stem cell-based therapies. They offer immense promise due to the virtually limitless supply of cells that could treat Type-1 diabetes.
“A small vial of stem cells, comparable in size to a baby's finger, could potentially be expanded and converted into insulin-producing cells to serve all individuals globally with diabetes.
“With further research, this treatment could potentially eradicate the reliance on insulin injections and revolutionize the management of Type-1 diabetes.”
Dr. David M. Thompson, the study's principal investigator, remarked, “This work signifies a significant scientific breakthrough.
“Following this initial success, we are now implanting larger cell quantities in additional patients, with hopes of significantly reducing or even eliminating the need for insulin injections in the near future.”
In a commentary accompanying the study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell in December, Eelco de Koning from Leiden University Medical Center stated, “A milestone has been achieved… this study will remain a pivotal point for human [stem cell]-derived cell replacement therapies as one of the initial reports on cell survival and functionality a year post-transplantation.”
