Japan Eyes Trial for Type 1 Diabetes Using iPS Cell Sheets

Kyoto, Sept. 2 (Jiji Press)--Kyoto University Hospital said Monday that it will start a clinical trial as early as next year to transplant pancreatic cell sheets made from induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells into patients with severe Type 1 diabetes. 
 

The treatment is expected to reduce or eliminate the need for insulin injections to lower blood sugar levels. The western Japan hospital plans to expand the scale of the trial to realize commercialization by the 2030s.
 

Type 1 diabetes is a condition where pancreatic islet cells, responsible for insulin production, deteriorate, making it difficult to control blood sugar levels.
 

Japan is believed to have 100,000 to 140,000 patients. They need daily insulin injections.
 

The trial will involve three Type 1 diabetes patients aged between 20 and 64.
 

In February next year, one patient will receive a transplant of sheet-like pancreatic islet cells derived from iPS cells under the skin of the abdomen, followed by the remaining two patients.
 

Their blood sugar levels will be monitored for five years after the surgery, in order to confirm safety. The trial will be expanded to include patients abroad to better examine efficacy.
 

Pancreatic islet cell transplantation is covered by public medical insurance in Japan. But due to the limited availability of donors, only a few cases are performed annually.
 

In Europe and the United States, similar clinical trials using sheets made from embryonic stem cells are underway. But the Kyoto hospital said that iPS cells are considered safer.
 

"We expect that the transplantation will be the first step toward a complete cure for Type 1 diabetes," Kyoto University Hospital professor Daisuke Yabe said.
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