According to Vertex Pharmaceuticals, twelve individuals with type 1 diabetes who underwent an experimental off-the-shelf stem cell therapy were able to produce their own insulin and maintain healthy blood glucose levels for a minimum of one year. After three months, none of the participants experienced severe episodes of low blood sugar. After one year, 10 out of the 12 participants no longer required insulin injections.

The research, presented at the American Diabetes Association’s scientific meeting and simultaneously published in the new England Journal of Medicine, provides an update to earlier studies that monitored these participants for a shorter duration. All participants received a full dose of the therapy, currently named zimislecel but previously known as VX-880.

The therapy, derived from a lab-grown stem cell line designed to differentiate into insulin-producing cells, aims to provide individuals with new islet cells that produce insulin, replacing their natural cells that have been compromised by the disease.

“After one year, 10 out of the 12 participants no longer required insulin injections.”

Understanding Type 1 Diabetes and Stem Cell Therapy