Hypoimmune cells

In a first-in-human safety study, patients with type 1 diabetes are being offered a transplant with genetically modified, hypoimmune insulin-producing cells from the islets of Langerhans. The cells have been modified so that they cannot be detected by the immune system.

The study will evaluate the treatment in up to two adult patients with type 1 diabetes who have elevated blood glucose levels despite standard treatment. The patients will have the cells transplanted into the forearm. The study aims to evaluate the safety and whether the insulin-producing cells escape immune attack, survive and generate measurable stabilisation of blood glucose levels. The treatment has previously proved very successful in preclinical studies.

The long-term hope is that all patients with type 1 diabetes can be cured of the disease by replacing their destroyed insulin-producing cells with new ones without the need for concurrent immunosuppressive treatment.