As a global chronic disease, diabetes has long been a common challenge faced by researchers and clinicians. It not only affects the health of patients, but also invisibly deprives many people of the right to enjoy life. However, with the continuous advancement of science and technology, especially the rise of stem cell therapy technology, it has brought new dawn to the treatment of diabetes. The "Goodbye, Diabetes" program once broadcast on CCTV Channel 10 vividly demonstrated the preliminary results of stem cell therapy in the field of diabetes. The rehabilitation stories of two patients are like a beam of light, illuminating the hope of countless diabetic patients. road. This article will take this as a background to deeply discuss the latest progress in stem cell treatment of diabetes, and comprehensively analyze the potential and challenges of this technology based on relevant data on the Internet.

01 Key review of "Goodbye, Diabetes" column

Goodbye, Diabetes "is a special program launched by CCTV Channel CCTV10 to explore new methods and technologies for the treatment of diabetes. In the program, two successful cases of stem cell treatment of diabetes attracted widespread attention.

Mr. Li's story After receiving stem cell treatment, less than a month later, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he could completely stop insulin injection, his blood sugar level was effectively controlled, and his quality of life had a qualitative leap forward.

Ms. Li's transformation

These two cases not only demonstrate the potential of stem cell therapy to rapidly improve diabetic symptoms, but more importantly, they provide new treatment options for patients who have long relied on drugs and insulin, greatly improving their quality of life and happiness.

02 Scientific principles of stem cell treatment for diabetes

The core of stem cell treatment for diabetes lies in its unique differentiation ability and immunoregulatory effect. Stem cells, especially mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have the potential to differentiate into multiple cell types, including pancreatic beta cells-key cells responsible for secreting insulin and regulating blood sugar levels.

Regeneration of islet cells By inducing differentiation, stem cells can become pancreatic beta cells, which are the mainstream cells for insulin secretion in the body and can effectively regulate blood sugar levels.

Repair islet function

Improve insulin resistance

Immune regulation and anti-inflammation

03 Progress in stem cell treatment of diabetes at home and abroad

Domestic progress: In recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in the field of stem cell treatment for diabetes. Many scientific research institutions and companies have devoted themselves to the research and development of stem cell therapies. Not only have they achieved positive results in preclinical research, but some projects have also entered the clinical trial stage. The cases shown in the program are a microcosm of the results of domestic stem cell treatment of diabetes.

In 2023, a 25-year-old patient with type 1 diabetes with an 11-year history underwent the international first islet-like cell transplant operation that chemically reprogrammed to induce pluripotent stem cell differentiation at Tianjin City First Central Hospital. After transplantation, the patient restored endogenous and physiological blood sugar regulation and completely withdrew from insulin injection treatment 75 days later, with stable efficacy lasting for more than 1 year.‌

On the evening of September 25 this year, the international authoritative journal Cell published the research results, and Nature also reported that for the first time in the world, our scientists used stem cell regenerative therapy to functionally cure type 1 diabetes. This is a major breakthrough in the field of diabetes treatment. Spread around the world.

Wang Shusen, director of the Central Laboratory of Tianjin City First Central Hospital and chief physician of the Organ Transplant Center, said that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The immune system attacks the patient's pancreatic beta cells, causing the patient to not produce enough insulin to control blood sugar. Before transplantation, Xiao Li's blood sugar was within the target blood sugar range for only 43.18%. In the past year, severe hypoglycemia occurred many times, threatening life safety. After autologous cell transplantation, she restored endogenous autonomous and physiological blood sugar control, and she completely and stably exited insulin injection treatment 75 days after transplantation. At present, all relevant indicators have reached the level of normal people, achieving clinical functional cure of type 1 diabetes.

International News Scientists from the United States, Japan, South Korea and other countries are also actively exploring new methods for stem cell treatment of diabetes, including the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to differentiate into pancreatic beta cells, and improving the therapeutic effect of stem cells through gene editing technology. These studies not only provide more possibilities for diabetes treatment, but also build bridges for scientific research cooperation and exchanges around the world.

Recently, VX-880, a stem cell therapy from Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the United States, has achieved remarkable results in clinical trials. Many patients with type 1 diabetes have reduced their insulin use or completely stopped using it after receiving treatment.‌

Most of the patients treated with VX-880 significantly reduced their insulin use after treatment, and some patients even completely stopped the use of exogenous insulin, achieving "functional cure" of diabetes.

The treatment mechanism of VX-880 restores the body's ability to regulate glucose levels by restoring islet cell function, including glucose-responsive insulin production. VX-880 was generally well tolerated in all dosed patients with no treatment-related serious adverse events.

04 Challenges and prospects of stem cell therapy for diabetes

Although stem cells have shown great potential in treating diabetes, their clinical application still faces many challenges.

Safety issue How to ensure the stable differentiation of stem cells in the body and avoid the formation of tumors or other adverse reactions is a key issue that researchers need to solve.

Chinese researchers have conducted in-depth research on mesenchymal stem cells, verified their safety through a large number of experimental and clinical data, and confirmed that mesenchymal stem cells will not induce tumor formation.‌

Researchers have a deep understanding of the biological mechanism of mesenchymal stem cells and found that they are strictly regulated and will not proliferate uncontrollably, thus avoiding transformation into tumor cells.‌

During the stem cell preservation and transplantation process, our country's scientific researchers follow strict experimental conditions and operating specifications to ensure the safety and stability of stem cells and reduce the risk of adverse reactions. Through these measures, my country has made significant progress in the field of stem cell therapy, providing a safety guarantee for the clinical application of stem cell therapy.

Effectiveness verification How to optimize treatment plans and improve treatment efficiency is one of the future research directions.

Cost issue With the maturity of technology and large-scale production, reducing costs and making treatment affordable for more patients is an urgent issue to be solved.

Ethics and Legal

05 Future prospects for stem cell treatment of diabetes

Despite the many challenges, the prospects for stem cell treatment of diabetes remain bright. With the continuous advancement of technology and in-depth research, we have reason to believe that stem cell therapy will become one of the important methods of diabetes treatment, bringing good news to more patients.

In March 2024, the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a series of press conferences on the theme of "Ten Years of China" to introduce the situation of "implementing innovation-driven development and building a strong country in science and technology" since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. At the meeting, Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang said that over the past ten years, my country's science and technology industry has undergone major changes of historic, overall and pattern, and has successfully entered the ranks of innovative countries.

Minister Wang Zhigang particularly emphasized that over the past ten years, in facing the world's scientific and technological frontiers, we have adhered to the two-legged approach of goal orientation and free exploration, and have achieved a number of influential original results in quantum information, stem cells, brain science, etc.