Diabetes Treatment Milestone: Stem Cell Therapy Gives Hope to Millions

Less than three months after receiving reprogrammed stem cells, a 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes has started producing insulin again — a world first that offers hope to millions.

“That’s remarkable,” exclaims Daisuke Yabe, a diabetes researcher at Kyoto University. “If this is applicable to other patients, it’s going to be wonderful.”

A team of researchers from Kyoto University modified the reprogramming technique developed some 20 years ago. Indeed, they exposed the patient’s cells to small molecules, offering more control over the process. They then used chemically induced pluripotent stem cells to generate 3D clusters of islets. In June 2023, they injected roughly 1.5 million islets into the woman’s abdominal muscles, allowing them to easily monitor the cells using magnetic resonance imaging. By using tissue made from a patient’s cells, there is a reduced risk of rejection of the graft.