Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes: A glimpse into the future

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a serious, chronic metabolic and autoimmune disease that affects millions globally. While insulin administration remains the most effective treatment, it is not a cure. Long-term therapies, such as immunotherapy, can be effective for some patients, but they have n...

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Main Authors: Ahmed Hassanein, Saghir Akhtar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association of Basic Medical Sciences of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2025-03-01
Series:Biomolecules & Biomedicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/12222
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author Ahmed Hassanein
Saghir Akhtar
author_facet Ahmed Hassanein
Saghir Akhtar
author_sort Ahmed Hassanein
collection DOAJ
description Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a serious, chronic metabolic and autoimmune disease that affects millions globally. While insulin administration remains the most effective treatment, it is not a cure. Long-term therapies, such as immunotherapy, can be effective for some patients, but they have notable limitations and do not provide a permanent solution. As a result, current research has shifted towards stem cell-based therapies, which offer a potentially expandable and scalable source of pancreatic beta cells. These therapies aim to restore long-term endogenous β-cell function in all T1DM patients, provided they can avoid immune recognition and rejection by the host. In this review, we will discuss the latest first-in-human successes of stem cell therapies for T1DM. We will then explore stem cell-derived islet encapsulation technologies and hypoimmune stem cells, examining how they might overcome the need for immunosuppressive therapy. Additionally, we will provide a summary of recent and ongoing biopharmaceutical industry pipelines and clinical trials for stem cell therapies aimed at treating T1DM. These advances suggest that stem cell therapies offer a promising and highly effective approach to treating patients with this chronic disease. However, large-scale clinical trials over the long term are necessary to verify these early successes and assess the curative potential of stem cell therapy for T1DM.
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spelling doaj-art-7aeefb87ccc44587b3dbae31212a0fb32025-08-20T02:51:04ZengAssociation of Basic Medical Sciences of Federation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaBiomolecules & Biomedicine2831-08962831-090X2025-03-0110.17305/bb.2025.12222Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes: A glimpse into the futureAhmed Hassanein0https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0912-5858Saghir Akhtar1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3177-946XCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, QatarCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a serious, chronic metabolic and autoimmune disease that affects millions globally. While insulin administration remains the most effective treatment, it is not a cure. Long-term therapies, such as immunotherapy, can be effective for some patients, but they have notable limitations and do not provide a permanent solution. As a result, current research has shifted towards stem cell-based therapies, which offer a potentially expandable and scalable source of pancreatic beta cells. These therapies aim to restore long-term endogenous β-cell function in all T1DM patients, provided they can avoid immune recognition and rejection by the host. In this review, we will discuss the latest first-in-human successes of stem cell therapies for T1DM. We will then explore stem cell-derived islet encapsulation technologies and hypoimmune stem cells, examining how they might overcome the need for immunosuppressive therapy. Additionally, we will provide a summary of recent and ongoing biopharmaceutical industry pipelines and clinical trials for stem cell therapies aimed at treating T1DM. These advances suggest that stem cell therapies offer a promising and highly effective approach to treating patients with this chronic disease. However, large-scale clinical trials over the long term are necessary to verify these early successes and assess the curative potential of stem cell therapy for T1DM. https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/12222Type 1 diabetes mellitusT1DMstem cellsencapsulationimmunosuppressionpancreatic beta cells
spellingShingle Ahmed Hassanein
Saghir Akhtar
Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes: A glimpse into the future
Biomolecules & Biomedicine
Type 1 diabetes mellitus
T1DM
stem cells
encapsulation
immunosuppression
pancreatic beta cells
title Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes: A glimpse into the future
title_full Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes: A glimpse into the future
title_fullStr Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes: A glimpse into the future
title_full_unstemmed Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes: A glimpse into the future
title_short Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes: A glimpse into the future
title_sort recent advances in stem cell based therapies for type 1 diabetes a glimpse into the future
topic Type 1 diabetes mellitus
T1DM
stem cells
encapsulation
immunosuppression
pancreatic beta cells
url https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/12222
work_keys_str_mv AT ahmedhassanein recentadvancesinstemcellbasedtherapiesfortype1diabetesaglimpseintothefuture
AT saghirakhtar recentadvancesinstemcellbasedtherapiesfortype1diabetesaglimpseintothefuture