Authors: Jeffrey A. Bluestone, Jane H. Buckner, Mark Fitch, Stephen E. Gitelman, Shipra Gupta, Marc K. Hellerstein, Kevan C. Herold, Angela Lares, Michael R. Lee, Kelvin Li, Weihong Liu, S. Alice Long, Lisa M. Masiello, Vinh Nguyen, Amy L. Putnam, Mary Rieck, Peter H. Sayre and Qizhi Tang
Summary:
In patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), immune cells attack the insulin-producing β cells of the pancreas. The resulting prolonged increase in blood sugar levels can lead to serious complications including heart disease and kidney failure. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to be defective in autoimmune diseases. Now, Bluestone et al. report a phase 1 trial of adoptive Treg immunotherapy to repair or replace Tregs in type 1 diabetics. The ex vivo–expanded polyclonal Tregs were long-lived after transfer and retained a broad Treg phenotype long-term. Moreover, the therapy was safe, supporting efficacy testing in further trials.
Source:
Abstract (Science Translational Medicine; Vol. 7, Issue 315, 315ra189 (11/25/15))