A breakthrough dual-transplant technique stops the autoimmune attack without insulin or immunosuppressants — offering hope for future human treatments.
Researchers at Stanford University, led by Dr. Seung K. Kim, have successfully cured type 1 diabetes in mice using a groundbreaking treatment that combines blood stem cell transplants with donor pancreatic islets — even when donor and recipient were immunologically incompatible.
The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, describes a procedure that “reboots” the immune system, stopping it from attacking insulin-producing beta cells. Remarkably, the treated mice required no chronic immunosuppressive drugs and no external insulin during six months of follow-up.
HOW THE TREATMENT WORKS
The therapy involves:
- Transplanting donor blood stem cells, which reset the immune system.
- Transplanting pancreatic islet cells, which restore natural insulin production.
This dual approach prevents both graft rejection and autoimmune destruction of beta cells — the two major obstacles to curing type 1 diabetes.
The results were extraordinary:
- 19 out of 19 healthy mice had complete protection of donor islets.
- 9 out of 9 diabetic mice were fully cured, maintaining normal glucose levels.
IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMANS
The breakthrough offers real hope for a future cure that:
- Eliminates lifelong insulin injections
- Removes the need for toxic immunosuppressants
- Restores natural insulin regulation
Researchers believe the technique could also be adapted to treat other autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
However, challenges remain — particularly the limited supply of donor islets from deceased donors. Future studies may explore lab-grown or stem-cell-derived alternatives.
