Editor: Bolysbek Dana
Author: Tulkibaeva Nursulu
Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin. Insulin is able to regulate blood glucose levels, but in this disease there is a lack of its production by the affected cells. Therefore, in the treatment of type I diabetes mellitus, are used insulin injections, which work on the principle of replacement therapy.
Scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a new type of diabetes treatment based on cell therapy. Researchers have designed a millimeter-thick graft that softens the body's immune response to a foreign body. The graft was transplanted into diabetic mice, replacing beta cells for a year; the construct proved to be effective and safe.
The transplant itself is modeled after a lotus root (the construct was named LENCON), and the cells contained in it are derived from induced stem cells, which are an unlimited source of beta cells.
"These are striking results that show how LENCON can be used successfully and safely in the treatment of type I diabetes. Our results indicate that the transplant may offer a new cell-based therapy for type 1 diabetes," said first author Dr. Fumisato Ozawa.
