When people have type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. These cells regulate the levels of glucose in the blood that the body needs for energy. Blood sugar will continue to rise without insulin, so type 1 diabetics will need to inject insulin for the rest of their lives. But over the past 20 years, significant advances in stem cell research and therapies have revealed promising methods for creating new insulin-producing cells needed to treat type 1 diabetes. Biotechnology company Vertex Pharmaceuticals recently launched a clinical trial that plans to treat 17 participants with type 1 diabetes with new stem cell-derived insulin-producing cells. The first patient in the trial, Brian Shelton, tested positive. After 150 days, Shelton was able to reduce the amount of insulin he injected by 92%. Other global companies are also working to treat diabetes, such as ViaCyte, CRISPR and Novo Nordisk, one of the largest insulin manufacturers in the world. Watch the video to hear how stem cell therapy changed Shelton’s life and what other treatments for diabetes are being developed.
