One of the greatest challenges in finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes is that the body’s immune system attacks and destroys material that is not part of one’s anatomy.
By Integrated Diabetes Services
Transplanting insulin-producing cells from donors fails to work unless drugs are taken to suppress the immune system.
Recognizing that proteins on the surface of transplanted cells are what trigger the immune system attack, researchers at Sana Biotechnology used CRISPR, a novel genetic modifier, to eliminate proteins on the surface called HLA-I and HLA-II, which are known to prompt immune rejection. Sana researchers further engineered the beta cells to produce more of a protein known as CD47 helps prevent the attacks.
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A 42-year-old man with T1D for 38 years received 17 injections of Sana’s genetically altered pancreatic cells into the muscle in his left arm. As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, the injected cells remained alive for at least 3 months, started to release insulin, and escaped destruction by the patient’s immune system WITHOUT TAKING ANY IMMUNOSUPPRESSANT DRUGS.
The man still has diabetes and has to take insulin to maintain his blood sugar, but the results set the stage for some very promising R&D in the years ahead. Sana is already looking to use genetically engineered beta cells grown in culture from stem cells, which are easier to obtain in large numbers than donated beta cells.
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