Source: Science News
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on June 20 reveals that a single infusion of lab-grown pancreatic cells allowed most participants with type 1 diabetes to produce their own insulin, eliminating the need for supplemental insulin injections. This development marks a significant step toward improving the lives of millions who rely on daily insulin therapy.
Why Alternatives to Insulin Injections Are Critical
Type 1 diabetes affects over 8 million people worldwide. It is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Without insulin, blood sugar cannot enter cells for energy, leading to dangerously high or low blood sugar levels.
While insulin injections, pumps, and glucose monitors have been life-saving, they are not perfect solutions:
- Precision challenges: Maintaining blood sugar in the “Goldilocks zone” (not too high, not too low) is difficult.
- Complications: Poor control can lead to kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness, and even death.
- Psychological burden: Constant monitoring and insulin adjustments cause stress and anxiety.
“This is a landmark study—this cannot be overstated,” says Giacomo Lanzoni, a diabetes researcher at the University of Miami. The ability to scale up lab-grown cells means this treatment could eventually help millions. Felicia Pagliuca, a cell biologist at the company responsible for the research, Vertex Pharmaceuticals commented “There’s really an urgent need for new therapies,”
The new therapy, called zimislecel, uses stem cell-derived pancreatic islet cells grown in a lab. These cells contain insulin-producing beta cells, which, when infused into the liver, begin regulating blood sugar naturally.
In a clinical trial of 14 patients:
- 10 out of 12 who received a full dose no longer needed insulin injections one year later.
- The remaining two reduced their insulin use by up to 70%.
Vertex is now expanding the trial to 50 patients and aims to seek FDA approval by 2026. Researchers are also exploring ways to reduce or eliminate the need for immunosuppression, which would make the treatment safer and more accessible.
What This Means for the General Public
For people with type 1 diabetes, this breakthrough offers new hope for freedom from insulin dependence. While the therapy is still in trials, it represents a major shift toward long-term, biological solutions rather than lifelong injections.