Health Canada (Commonwealth Union) – Groundbreaking results from a recent clinical trial conducted by the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) reveal that an innovative stem cell-based treatment holds promise in effectively managing blood glucose levels and reducing the reliance on daily insulin injections for individuals with Type 1 diabetes.
Dr. David Thompson, the principal investigator at the Vancouver trial site, clinical professor of endocrinology at UBC, and director of the Vancouver General Hospital Diabetes Centre, expressed the significance of this development, indicating that this marks a substantial stride towards a functional cure for Type 1 diabetes. He emphasized that, for the first time, a stem cell-based device demonstrated the ability to decrease the insulin dosage required for certain participants in the clinical trial. Dr. Thompson anticipates that with further refinement, this approach could eventually lead to a therapeutic solution that eliminates the necessity for daily insulin injections altogether.
The research findings, disclosed in the latest issue of Nature Biotechnology, originate from a multicenter clinical trial examining an experimental cell therapy developed by ViaCyte, a U.S. biotechnology company (acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals) currently undergoing clinical testing in Canada.
Researchers of the study point out that the treatment, named VC-02, strives to replace the deficient insulin-producing beta cells in individuals with Type 1 diabetes. Consisting of millions of laboratory-grown pancreatic islet cells, including beta cells derived from pluripotent stem cells, the small medical implant is about the size of a Band-Aid and no thicker than a credit card. Implanted just beneath the patient’s skin, the device aims to provide a consistent, long-term, and regulated supply of self-sustaining insulin. The encouraging outcomes of this trial open new avenues for the development of transformative therapies for Type 1 diabetes.
“Each device is like a miniature insulin-producing factory,” explained the co-author Dr. Timothy Kieffer, who is a professor within the departments of surgery and cellular and physiological sciences at UBC, as well as a past chief scientific officer of ViaCyte. “The pancreatic islet cells, grown from stem cells, are packaged into the device to essentially recreate the blood sugar-regulating functions of a healthy pancreas. This may have tremendous benefits over transplant of scarcely available donor-derived cells, given that we can create a virtually limitless supply.”
The clinical trial took place at Vancouver General Hospital, with additional sites located in Belgium and the U.S. Ten participants, all initially lacking detectable insulin production, underwent surgery to receive up to 10 device implants each.
After six months, three participants exhibited significant markers of insulin production, maintaining these levels throughout the year-long study. These individuals spent more time within the optimal blood glucose range and reduced their reliance on externally administered insulin.
Notably, one participant demonstrated remarkable improvement, with their time spent in the target blood glucose range increasing from 55 to 85 percent, accompanied by a 44 percent reduction in daily insulin administration.
These findings represent the most recent outcomes in a series of clinical trials funded by Canada’s Stem Cell Network and executed by the UBC-VCH team.
Cate Murray, President and CEO of the SCN, indicated her satisfaction, stating, that The Stem Cell Network is thrilled to support this clinical trial, and they are pleased to witness these promising results. She further indicated that achieving a functional cure for diabetes demands a coordinated and collaborative effort, involving excellent science from top researchers in world-leading institutions, supportive funders like SCN that de-risk research, and innovative biotech companies capable of manufacturing and scaling the technology. She indicated that SCN is proud to contribute to this collective endeavor, and they eagerly anticipate the next developments in groundbreaking diabetes research.
The study is likely to give hope to many with Type 1 diabetes who have chance lower the need for injections.
