Stem cell therapy has emerged as a technical approach for the treatment of diabetes, showing promising results in the laboratory and attracting extensive attention in the field. However, according to a recent report in Nature, multiple trials have for the first time demonstrated desirable clinical improvements and have entered the critical Phase II/III stage. A major challenge in stem cell therapy lies in enabling these cells to function sustainably, stably and controllably in the human body.
In the field of Type 1 diabetes, Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ stem cell-derived beta cell transplantation trials have provided clear human evidence. Several patients showed a significant reduction in exogenous insulin requirements months after transplantation, and some achieved near-normal postprandial blood glucose control in continuous monitoring. The transplanted cells exhibited the physiological characteristics of stable insulin secretion, as indicated by relevant functional indicators.
This marks the first time since the discovery of insulin in 1921 that humans have attempted to reconstruct a biological component capable of automatically regulating blood glucose, with preliminary success observed in human trials.。