Transforming Skin Cells To Insulin Producing Beta Cells To Treat Type 1 Diabetes

Credit: Catherine Twomey for The National Academies

Scientists have developed a technique that could replenish insulin producing beta cells using stem cell technology. They used skin cells and transformed them into cells that could secrete insulin. The transformed cells called PPLCs, can mimic early pancreas-like cells that can manufacture insulin.

Early testing shows that the technique is successful.

Type 1 diabetes is disease where the immune system of the body attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas. This results in the loss of insulin which is needed to control the blood sugar levels. If left untreated, high sugar levels can be fatal.

There is no cure for diabetes yet but it can be managed with regular glucose monitoring and insulin injections.

Because stem cells have the ability to transform into any type of cell in the body, scientists have high hopes that this may be the key to finding a cure for diabetes and other diseases. This latest discovery is a positive step in finding a permanent cure for type 1 diabetes.

Newly Discovered Hormone, Betatrophin, May Offer More Effective Diabetes Treatment

Harvard Stem Cell Institute co-director Doug Melton (r) and postdoc Peng Yi examine images related to their discovery of betatrophin, a new hormone that is a potential treatment for type 2 diabetes.
Credit: B. D. Colen/Harvard University

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) have recently discovered a new hormone called betatrophin that can lead to a more effective treatment of type 2 diabetes.

In twenty years, diabetes is projected to affect 550 million people all over the world. Currently, it is the number one cause for foot amputations and non-genetic vision impairments.

There are two type of diabetes, Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Although both types are caused by lack of insulin, they differ in how this is caused. Type 1 diabetes is mostly genetic and invoves the immune system attacking beta cells which are responsible for producing insulin. Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body rejecting its own insulin or that there is not enough insulin produced by the body. Of the two, 95% of diabetes cases are Type 2 diabetes and the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes is obesity.

Insulin is needed by the body to regulate the blood sugar (glucose) levels of the body. Insulin helps in moving glucose from the blood to cells where it is stored for future use as energy. Without insulin or when there is not enough insulin, glucose remains in the bloodstream. At high levels of glucose, blood vessels start to harden and other complications such as kidney failure, heart disease, and other organ malfunctions arise.

There is no cure for diabetes. The disease can only be managed through glucose monitoring, insulin injections and other medications that help regulate glucose levels.

Closed Loop Insulin Delivery System Improves Glucose Control And Reduces Risk of Hypoglycemia For Diabetics

Closed Loop Insulin Delivery System
Credit: BioMed Central Ltd.

A Closed Loop Insulin Delivery System improved the control of glucose levels and reduced the risk of hypoglycemia compared with conventional pump treatment in a trial published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Diabetes is a disease where the body has difficulty maintaining glucose levels in the blood. There is a problem with insulin production. Insulin is a hormone that regulates glucose levels. There is either too little insulin produced (or none at all) or that the body is rejecting it.

In type 1 diabetes, the body mistakenly identifies the insulin producing beta cells located in the pancreas as harmful and start attacking it. Because of this, type 1 is identified as an autoimmune disorder. This kind of disorder is hereditary and can be passed down through families.

Diabetes is a life long disease. There is still no cure for it. Despite this, diabetes can be managed. Regular insulin shots are done in lieu of the body's production process.

An important part of managing diabetes is monitoring one's blood glucose levels. Once the levels indicate a higher than normal glucose measurement, an insulin shot will help bring it down. It is important that the blood glucose levels being aimed for are as near normal as possible (that is in the range of those of a person who does not have diabetes).

A recent technology that combines both blood monitoring and insulin delivery is the closed loop insulin delivery system. The device continuously monitors the glucose levels in the blood and when it senses that the levels are too high, it automatically delivers insulin to the body.

Successful Test of Artificial Pancreas System, Hypoglycemia Hyperglycemia Minimizer (HHM) System For Type 1 Diabetes

In response to high levels of glucose in the blood, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas secrete the hormone insulin. Type I diabetes occurs when these cells are destroyed by the body’s own immune system.

Diabetes is a life long disease in which the body has difficulty in maintaining the high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Insulin is needed by the body to regulate glucose levels. In diabetes, there is too little insulin or the body is resisting the insulin, or both.

There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the cells that produce the insulin (beta cells) produce little or no insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the insulin produced is rejected by the body.

In type 1 diabetes, the body mistakenly identifies the beta cells located in the pancreas as harmful and start attacking it. Because of this, type 1 is identified as an autoimmune disorder. This kind of disorder is hereditary and can be passed down through families.

Positive results from first human clinical trials of a first-generation artificial pancreas system

Results from the first feasibility study of an advanced first-generation artificial pancreas system were presented today at the 72nd Annual American Diabetes Association Meeting in Philadelphia. Findings from the study indicated that the Hypoglycemia-Hyperglycemia Minimizer (HHM) System was able to automatically predict a rise and fall in blood glucose and correspondingly increase and/or decrease insulin delivery safely. The HHM System included a continuous, subcutaneous insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and special software used to predict changes in blood glucose. The study was conducted by Animas Corporation in collaboration with JDRF as part of an ongoing partnership to advance the development of a closed-loop artificial pancreas system for patients with Type 1 diabetes.

"The successful completion of this study using the HHM System in a human clinical trial setting is a significant step forward in the development of an advanced first-generation artificial pancreas system," said Dr. Henry Anhalt, Animas Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director of the Artificial Pancreas Program. "It lays the foundation for subsequent clinical trials, bringing us one step closer to making the dream of an artificial pancreas a reality for millions of people living with Type 1 diabetes."