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Home > News & events > News > Breakthrough in T1D treatment: Engineered islets produce insulin without immunosuppression
Islets are clusters of cells in the pancreas, with beta cells within these islets responsible for producing insulin. In T1D, the immune system attacks and destroys these insulin-producing cells. To combat this, Sana’s trial used islets from deceased donors, which were genetically modified using the company’s ‘hypoimmune’ technology to avoid immune system rejection. These modified islets were then implanted into the muscle tissue of a person with T1D who had volunteered to be part of the study.
After just four weeks, the research team could tell that the person was making significantly more insulin than before, by measuring their C-peptide levels – an important marker of insulin production. This confirmed that the transplanted islets were alive, functioning, and producing insulin. Critically, this was achieved without the need for immunosuppressive drugs. This marks the first time that engineered islets have successfully avoided immune destruction.
The data that has been released is the first step in this incredibly promising research programme.
Current cell therapy options using donor islets are limited by the scarcity of donor organs and the ongoing reliance on immunosuppressive drugs, which can have serious side effects. The application of hypoimmune technology could change this, providing a way to protect insulin-producing cells without such drugs.
While this represents an important breakthrough, islets from organ donors are in short supply. Stem cell-derived islets could offer a more scalable solution for treating a larger number of people with T1D. Today’s results provide hope that using hypoimmune technology with stem cell-derived islets could lead to the development of immune-evasive, insulin-producing cells that are more widely available.
Progress will take significant time, effort, and money. Thanks to your support, every day we take another step toward a possible life-changing T1D cure.
At Breakthrough T1D, we are proud to have supported this promising research by investing in Sana Biotechnology through the T1D Fund. Their innovative hypoimmune engineering technology holds great potential for developing stem cell-based treatments that do not require broad immunosuppressive drugs. We look forward to seeing the continued progress of this trial.
Rachel Connor, Director of Research Partnerships says: “Today’s breakthrough offers the tantalising prospect of insulin-producing, immune-evasive cells for many more people living with T1D. Eliminating the need for immunosuppressive drugs makes a significant stride toward making cell therapies that allow people with T1D to make their own insulin again accessible to all. At Breakthrough T1D, we’re thrilled to support research that brings us closer to life changing cures for T1D.”
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Immunotherapy, beta cell replacement, smart insulins – we’re driving research in the most promising areas to find cures and better treatments for type 1 diabetes.
