Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the body cannot produce insulin. People with this condition must take insulin every day to manage blood glucose levels. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is a more complex condition. Some people with type 2 diabetes need to take insulin every day, whereas others have better insulin production.
Researchers around the world are working to develop insulin-producing beta cells that can be transplanted into patients with diabetes. The main aim of these cell therapies is to achieve good blood sugar control without the need for insulin injections.
Cell therapy is still an unusual form of treatment for diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes can receive a treatment which involves transplantation of insulin-producing beta cells from a donor to the patient’s pancreas. Research is being carried out to develop alternative treatments for people with type 1 diabetes.
Several researchers at Lund University want to understand why insulin-producing beta cells fail to secrete enough insulin in type 2 diabetes. This is knowledge that could lead to new advanced treatment options for people with this form of the disease in the future.
Lab-grown cells
One such researcher is Isabella Artner, associate professor of endocrine cell differentiation and function at the Lund University Faculty of Medicine.
“Diabetes is a chronic disease that involves continuous monitoring and treatment. I hope that our research can contribute with new knowledge that may lead to better treatments," says Isabella Artner.
Isabella Artner and her research team at the Lund University Diabetes Centre and Lund Stem Cell Center are working to find new insights that can pave the way for cell therapies for people with both forms of diabetes. They study how insulin-producing beta cells develop and function and what factors are important for their maturation.
The Hjelt Diabetes Foundation recently awarded the group a grant of about 180,000 SEK to fund a research project about type 2 diabetes. In this project, they will investigate what can go wrong during cell development and how this may contribute to type 2 diabetes later in life.
“I hope that the knowledge can be used to develop methods that can be used to grow insulin-producing cells in the lab. In the future, such cells may be transplanted to patients with type 2 diabetes. This type of treatment would be beneficial for patients with type 2 diabetes who need insulin injections every day," says Isabella Artner.
