To cure type 1 diabetes (T1D), we know that we must restore or replace the insulin-producing beta cells and protect them from autoimmune attack. There are hundreds of people who have been living for years free from needing insulin injections after receiving transplanted donor islets as the source of insulin-producing cells. While these results have restored glycemic control and significantly improved people’s quality of life, the current approach is available to a limited number of people and these individuals need to take immunosuppression drugs for the rest of their lives. Our ambition at JDRF is to build on these advances so that the broader T1D community can benefit and remove the need for chronic immune suppression drugs.

Having developed a way to make an unlimited number of beta cells using stem cells, and establishing the most advanced genome engineering tools and immunology expertise, David M. Harlan, M.D., at UMass Chan Medical School, and colleagues will focus on the challenge of protecting these cells from the immune attacks that occur following transplantation. They will undertake four projects the results of which will benefit scientists worldwide aiming to treat and find cures for diabetes.