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The man was diagnosed with type 1 diabetic since the age 5. Freepik is the credit for this photo.
Unbelievable medical research has revealed that a type 1 diabetic man can now produce his own islet cells after genetically modified islet cell implants, without needing to take immunosuppressive drugs for life. This may be a significant step in the treatment of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by the immune system of a patient destroying specialised cells called islet cell in their pancreas. These cells are responsible for insulin production, which regulates blood sugar. The condition is managed by regular synthetic insulin doses, but at the moment there is no cure. Islet-cell transplants may provide insulin to people with diabetes type 1. The patient’s immune response can be triggered by the new cells after a transplant. This can lead to the destruction of the transplanted tissues. Due to this, patients who receive transplants must continue taking immunosuppressive medication for the remainder of their lives. They are more susceptible to infection.
Scientists in Sweden and the United States used CRISPR to genetically modify islet cells taken from the pancreas of a donor. This allowed them to suppress the immune system’s rejection. It is the first human test of the treatment. The transplant recipient continued to produce insulin 12 weeks after receiving genetically modified stem cells without any immune response. Although preliminary, the study suggested that genetically modifying transplant cells to avoid the immune system of recipients is an effective tool for avoiding rejection.
Researchers used CRISPR in this new approach to make three changes to genetic code to decrease the chances of an immune response. Two of these edits reduced the levels of proteins that are on the surface cells to signal white blood cells if a cell was foreign. Thirdly, a protein called CD47 that inhibits the attack of other immune cells was increased. The man was then injected with the genetically modified cells. The body of the man left the modified cell alone and the remaining cells produced insulin normally. Even though he received only a small amount of the edited cells but will still need to take daily insulin, this case indicates that the procedure is safe.
The next step for the researchers is to conduct follow-up experiments to determine if cells can survive over the long run. This will help to manage disease better and could even provide a potential cure. It is also necessary to test if the approach works on other patients. This study represents an important step in the search for a type 1 diabetic cure. More research is required to confirm this treatment’s long-term safety and effectiveness, but the results are encouraging. This approach, if successful in future trials, could improve the quality of life of people with type 1 diabetics.
The medical case is available for reading here
