New progress made in the treatment of diabetes using human stem cells

  Scientists working to develop more effective treatments for diabetes are seeking help from stem cells. These cells can be transformed into insulin-producing cells, where insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar. However, there are major challenges. It is difficult to control the amount of insulin produced by these cells. At present, researchers at Washington University's St. Louis School of Medicine have adjusted the formula that causes human stem cells to produce insulin-secreting beta cells, which leads to increased glucose levels in the blood. I confirm that it will fluctuate. More sensitive. When they transplanted these beta cells into non-insulin-producing mice, they began to secrete insulin for several days and continued to control the blood sugar of these mice for several months.

  Dr. Jeffrey. Milman, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Washington University St. Louis School of Medicine, said: Cells respond faster and better. In people without diabetes, these cells behave like beta cells.

  These researchers believe that it is time to evaluate whether this stem cell method can be produced. Insulin can also effectively control blood sugar levels in the body.

  In 2014, Milman and his team converted skin cells into stem cells, and in 2016 they treated the skin cells of diabetic patients in the same way. These stem cells are then treated with various growth factors to induce them to produce insulin-secreting beta cells. However, these beta cells cannot work properly. He said: "Before, the beta cells we produce secrete insulin in response to glucose, but they are like fire extinguishing agents. They produce a lot of insulin, which is not produced at all. In this new study, the newly produced insulin Secreting cells are more sensitive, and the secreted insulin can better respond to glucose levels."

  In this new study, the Millman Institute still uses human stem cells to generate β cells, but the "prescription" of insulin β cells has undergone many changes. These cells are processed by different factors at different growth and development stages to help them mature and function more effectively. After this process was completed, these researchers transplanted beta cells into diabetic mice with suppressed immune systems to make human cells immune. The insulin levels produced by these beta cells transplanted into mice effectively controlled blood sugar and effectively cured diabetes within a few months. For most of the mice in this study, this is actually information about how long they can survive. As a laboratory researcher instead of

  Clinician, Millman said, it is impossible to accurately predict when these cells can be used in human clinical trials, but human patients can be predicted in at least two ways. We believe that it is possible to test β cells derived from stem cells. "The first method is to wrap these cells in something like a gel. The gel is small enough to prevent immune cells from entering, but at the same time there are pores large enough for insulin to escape. The other method is to use genes. Edit The tool will modify the genes in the beta cells to avoid being recognized by the immune system after transplantation. If the cells are safe and effective for diabetic patients, then the cell type that produces these cells can be quickly upgraded to an industrial scale in this way In his laboratory alone, his team can generate more than 1 billion beta cells in just a few weeks.