Diabetes Mellitus – VJRegenMed

The role of regenerative medicine in treating diabetes

Simon Ng — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:07:22 +0000

Lorenzo Piemonti, MD, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, discusses the importance of advanced therapies in treating Type 1 diabetes. Cell therapies have the potential to reverse the loss of insulin-producing β cells and Prof. Piemonti highlights the advantages of utilizing regenerative medicine in the field. The efficacy of treatments can be effectively measured with well-established biomarkers, and β cells are not required to be in a specific part of the body to be producing insulin. Islet transplantation has additionally proven that cell therapies is a viable treatment for diabetes. This interview took place at the 6th World Congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS 2021).

The future of regenerative medicine in transplantation

Simon Ng — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:07:16 +0000

Giuseppe Orlando, MD, PhD, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, describes recent advances in the field of transplantation, including the development of β cell replacement therapies for Type 1 diabetes. Prof. Orlando additionally discusses novel organ preservation techniques which utilizes fluids that store organs at room temperature instead of ice, as well as the use of mesenchymal stem cells and mitochondria to render once unusable organs suitable for transplantable. This interview took place at the 6th World Congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS 2021).

Bio-engineering vascularized islet organs for T1D

Simon Ng — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:07:14 +0000

Lorenzo Piemonti, MD, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, describes advancements in the field of β cell replacement in Type 1 diabetes. Translation of β cells from an in vitro to in vivo environment has been a major hurdle, due to the loss of cell mass during engraftment and immunogenicity. Ex vivo vascularized islet organs (VIOs) aims to overcome these issues, and consist of an engraftable decellularized lung scaffold containing endocrine cells. This interview took place at the 6th World Congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS 2021).

Challenges in β cell replacement therapy

Simon Ng — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 12:22:20 +0000

Lorenzo Piemonti, MD, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, addresses limitations in developing β cell replacement therapy for Type 1 diabetes. Whilst clinical trials assessing induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived therapies have shown clinical benefit, there are major hurdles that need to be overcome. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, so the use of both allogeneic and autologous cell therapies will induce a host immune response. Bioinvisible materials can surpass the need for immunosuppressive drugs by enabling the cells to evade the immune system. This interview took place at the 6th World Congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS 2021).

Advanced cell selection for the manufacture of ProTrans cell therapy

admin_vjr_user — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 17:41:35 +0000

Mathias Svahn, PhD, MScEng, NextCell Pharma AB, Huddinge, Sweden, describes the cell selection and manufacturing process for ProTrans, an umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapeutic currently being investigated for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. He discusses the use of potency assays and a proprietary selection algorithm to support the identification of optimal donors and the selection of cells with high potency and efficacy based on functionality, immune cell interaction and signaling. In addition, the use of pooled MSCs from multiple donors enhances reproducibility and cells are only cultured for three passages in order to preserve cell potency. This interview took place at the Advanced Therapies Congress & Expo 2021.

MSCs for type I diabetes

admin_vjr_user — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 17:29:15 +0000

Lindsay Davies, PhD, Karolinska Institutet & NextCell Pharma AB, Huddinge, Sweden, describes the rationale behind mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-based therapy for Type I diabetes (T1D). Dr Davies describes a strategy that involves the administration of a single dose of MSCs, with the aim of re-educating of the patient’s immune system and restoring beta cell function, thus reducing the co-morbidities associated with late-stage T1D, such as chronic wounds. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.

ProTrans: Wharton’s jelly-derived MSC therapy for type I diabetes

admin_vjr_user — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 17:29:12 +0000

Lindsay Davies, PhD, Karolinska Institutet & NextCell Pharma AB, Huddinge, Sweden, describes a single center Phase II trial (NCT03406585) evaluating ProTrans, an allogeneic Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (WJ-MSC)-based product, for the treatment of type I diabetes (T1D). This study demonstrated that a single infusion of ProTrans in adult patients with T1D resulted in maintenance of beta cell function, measured through the delta-change of C-peptide Area Under the Curve (AUC). There are currently plans to evaluate this therapy in a multicenter Phase III trial, as well as in a pediatric patient population. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.

Developing the bioartificial pancreas

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 11:47:29 +0000

Ekaterine Berishvili, MD, PhD, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, describes ongoing research towards the development of the bioartificial pancreas for the treatment of type I diabetes, through the use of a range of tissue engineering, immune modulation and genome editing strategies. Given their immunomodulatory characteristics, he discusses strategies under investigation that utilize placental derivatives, as well as the development of placenta extracellular matrix-based biomaterials. The generation and transplantation of insulin-secreting organoids into a diabetic mouse model demonstrated successful engraftment, vascularization and therapeutic benefit. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.

Tackling remaining obstacles to cell therapy for type I diabetes

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 11:47:28 +0000

Ekaterine Berishvili, MD, PhD, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, discusses the key challenges associated with the development of cell-based therapies for type I diabetes. There is currently an insufficient number of cell donors to meet the high demand of patients with type I diabetes that require treatment. Dr Berishvili proposes expanding the cell pool through the transdifferentiation and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells to insulin-producing beta cells, however, notes that this would not necessarily allow the generation of functional islets, given their complexity. Key remaining challenges include recapitulating islet anatomy and function, as well as achieving protection from the host immune system to avoid rejection upon transplantation. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.

The future of cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes

admin_vjr_user — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 07:54:05 +0000

Ekaterine Berishvili, MD, PhD, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, discusses the current landscape of cell-based therapies for type I diabetes (T1D) and the future directions of the field. Currently, the most widely used cell-based therapy for T1D is islet transplantation, however, Dr Berishvili indicates that the requirement for several cell donors and lifelong immunosuppression calls for alternative cell-based therapies. She describes new avenues under investigation including the transplantation of stem cell-derived β cells to patients with T1D, as well as promise around the generation of the bioartificial endocrine pancreas and its curative potential. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.