Pancreatic Beta Cells for Diabetes Treatment

In mice, pancreatic beta-cell, target-specific, Chimeric Antigen-Receptor (CAR) regulatory T cells (Tregs) help treat type 1 diabetes.

The study was led by Prof. Juan Carlos Jaume, MD, chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, in the Department of Medicine and director of the Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Research (CeDER), at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio.

Type 1 Diabetes - Treatment and Management
An overview of type 1 diabetes, its contributing factors, management and adopting a healthy lifestyle to cope with it.

‘This is the first successful, pancreatic beta-cell, target-specific CAR-Treg treatment of T1D in a humanized mouse model that closely resembles the human disease.’

Historically, adoptive cell transfer therapies with CAR cytotoxic T cells have proven effective for treating hematologic malignancies. Jaume and his team attempted to replicate an equally effective experimental treatment for type 1 diabetes using instead non-cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory Tregs.

“The purpose of this study was to determine if pancreatic beta-cell, target-specific, human CAR Tregs could also identify human pancreatic beta cells (target) and home to human pancreatic islets (where beta cells live) in culture as they do in mice undergoing CAR Treg treatment for T1D,” Jaume said.

The researchers drew blood one to two weeks prior to pancreas surgery, followed by a collection of a small piece of the pancreas (5 cc wedge) after the pancreas was removed for a clinically indicated reason (cancer or pancreatitis).

Beta Cells in Type 1 Diabetes

First, they isolated Tregs from the blood samples and expanded them in vitro. Those cells were genetically modified to express a beta-cell, target-specific CAR combined with Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP) marker.

Diabetes Risk Assessment Calculator
Almost one-third of the people are unaware of the risk factors of diabetes. Find out if you run the risk of diabetes by using Diabetes Risk Assessment calculator.

Second, the researchers processed the pancreas tissue for islet separation.

Then, they co-cultured the human pancreatic islets combined with the beta-cell, target-specific CAR Tregs.

Quiz on Diabetes Medications
How much do you know about the medications used to treat diabetes? Here are a few questions you could attempt to test your knowledge.

Within 24 hours, confocal microscopy demonstrated the successful migration of the GFP positive, CAR Tregs onto the pancreatic islets. What’s more, the CAR Tregs significantly proliferated while in physical contact with the pancreatic islets in the subsequent 72 hours.

“Based on our mice and human in-vitro data, we believe treatment with pancreatic beta-cell, target-specific, CAR-Tregs will allow for recovery and reconstitution of beta cells in human T1D patients as well,” Jaume said.

15 Unknown Facts About Diabetes
Diabetes is the leading cause of death in the world. Here are some interesting facts about diabetes

Source-Eurekalert