Researchers in the United States have successfully cured type 1 diabetes in mice using a “chimeric” immune system, allowing insulin-producing cell transplants without lifelong immune-suppressing drugs.
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. Traditional islet transplants require strong immunosuppressants, limiting their use and exposing patients to infections and other risks.
The new method, developed by a team led by Dr. Judith Shizuru at Stanford University, blends the recipient’s and donor’s immune systems.
This process reeducates the host immune system to tolerate the transplanted cells while eliminating immune cells that previously attacked the islets.
The team used a multistep regimen involving multiple antibodies, low-dose radiation, and the rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib.
This approach created space in the bone marrow for donor stem cells without fully wiping out the host’s immune system.
After transplantation, the mice maintained insulin production for at least 20 weeks, and their immune systems remained functional without rejecting the grafts.
The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, demonstrates a potentially safer and more effective way to reverse type 1 diabetes.
Experts caution that translating this approach to humans will require overcoming challenges, such as securing matched donors, maintaining a stable mixed immune system over decades, and finding human-compatible antibodies.
Dr. John DiPersio, an oncology and cellular therapy expert, described the findings as a “big step forward” toward curing diabetes, noting that further research is essential before clinical trials in humans.