Current and Future Approaches to Stem Cell Treatment of Type I Diabetes

Abstract

This review analyzes the efficacy of current and previous stem cell therapies for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and suggests the most viable stem cell-based treatments for the future. T1D is an autoimmune disease in which the β cells of the pancreas are destroyed. Currently, the only insulin replacement therapy options for T1D include insulin injection (which requires daily dosing) or organ transplantation (which has donor limitations and requires immunosuppression). Both options decrease a patient's quality of life. After reviewing completed clinical trials using stem cell therapy, we found that the combination therapy of adipose-derived stem cells and hematopoietic stem cells offers the greatest benefit for generating insulin-producing cells and modulating the autoreactivity of the immune system. However, this therapy is limited in scope and requires immunosuppression. The most promising potential treatment is encapsulation (the enclosure of stem cell-derived β cells to prevent interactions with the immune system) because it can restore insulin production and does not require immunosuppression. Although encapsulation is in the early stages of development and has no completed clinical trials, it offers an ideal, long-term therapy option without compromising patients' quality of life and without requiring immunosuppression.