Ready for a dia-beatdown?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
In Type-1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas, stopping insulin production. This messes up blood sugar regulation. Patients need daily insulin injections to survive. Is there another way?
Enter Trevor Riechman and team at the University of Toronto. They’re overseeing clinical trials of Zimislecel.
This one-time treatment heals the pancreas to restart insulin production. However patients’ immune systems must be suppressed to protect their pancreases, making the treatment risky.
But, one year after infusion, ten of twelve patients were living without insulin injections!
There’s work ahead to make Zimislecel safe in the long term.
But this promising trial is a SWEET success!
Reference: Reichman, T. W., Markmann, J. F., Odorico, J., Witkowski, P., Fung, J. J., Wijkstrom, M., Kandeel, F., de Koning, E. J. P., Peters, A. L., Mathieu, C., Kean, L. S., Bruinsma, B. G., Wang, C., Mascia, M., Sanna, B., Marigowda, G., Pagliuca, F., Melton, D., Ricordi, C., & Rickels, M. R. (2025). Stem cell–derived, fully differentiated islets for type 1 diabetes. New England Journal of Medicine, 393(9), 858–868. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2506549