Type 1 diabetes is considered as an incurable disease characterized by the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic islet β cells. Lifelong insulin treatment can be expected for patients with the disease. However there is not no hope for treating it; islet transplantation is a possible option, but subject to great limitation of need for long-term immunosuppression with the use of relevant drugs. A team of scientists recently developed a strategy to co-transplant allogeneic pancreatic islets and streptavidin (SA)-Fas ligand (FasL) microgels to the omental pouch. FasL has a critical role in mitigating allogeneic immune responses for graft acceptance. In experimental non-human primate models, the subjects demonstrated glucose-responsive insulin secretion and C-peptide levels comparable to the prediabetic state, while the control animals undergone transplantation without SA-FasL exhibited acute graft rejection. Besides, in face of graft survival, this strategy was able to sustain for more than 6 months with robust glycemic control requiring no chronic immunosuppression. The success can be seen as a translational potential in β cell replacement for treating type 1 diabetes.

References

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