Stem Cell-Based Treatments for Type 1 Diabetes

The Penn transplant team, led by Dr. Clyde Barker pioneered the isolation and transplantation of pancreatic islets in small animals as a model for treating patients with Type I diabetes. The team was the first to recognize the autoimmune nature of islet damage post-transplant and helped lead the field in applying allogeneic islet transplant, with islets recovered from the pancreata of deceased organ donors, to human Type I diabetic recipients. While allogeneic islets provided proof of concept the field was constrained by an inadequate supply of islets and the requirement for immunosuppression to prevent rejection and autoimmune damage. The critical recent leap forward for the field has been the demonstration that functional islets can be effectively generated from stem cells, potentially eliminating the supply problem. In addition, it is possible that genetic modificaitons of stem cell derived islets may reduce or eliminate the need for Immunosuppression to prevent rejection. This has the potential to dramatically broaden the number of diabetics who could benefit from stem cell derived islets.