Type 1 diabetes, also known as “juvenile diabetes” or “insulin-deficiency diabetes mellitus,” is a lifelong autoimmune disease commonly diagnosed in children or teenagers. It is caused by an inflammatory attack on pancreatic beta cells, which are responsible for producing insulin. As these cells are destroyed, the body becomes unable to produce insulin, resulting in the complete dependence on external insulin for survival.
In its early stages, type 1 diabetes causes:
– Increased thirst and frequent urination.
– Extreme hunger and rapid weight loss.
As the disease progresses, complications arise due to glucose buildup in the body, including:
– Vision loss.
– Recurrent or resistant infections, especially in the limbs.
– Kidney damage.
– Neuropathies.
Management typically involves lifelong insulin therapy, continuous glucose monitoring, and a controlled diet. Unfortunately, by the time most patients are diagnosed, insulin production has ceased entirely, rendering the condition incurable.
While pancreatic islet transplantation offers a theoretical cure, it is impractical for widespread use due to donor scarcity and the risks involved. It is typically considered only for patients undergoing simultaneous kidney transplants.
Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes
At Biotherapy International, we are exploring the potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) therapy as an innovative solution for type 1 diabetes.
Early Intervention Opportunities
If diagnosed during the “pre-diabetic stage” or the “honeymoon period,” when some insulin-producing beta cells remain, MSC therapy may help halt autoimmune insulitis (the inflammatory attack on beta cells). This approach could:
– Preserve residual beta cells.
– Reduce or eliminate the need for external insulin.
– Improve glucose metabolism with dietary control.
Regenerative and Anti-Inflammatory Potential
MSCs have well-documented anti-inflammatory properties that can regulate autoimmune reactions targeting beta cells. Additionally, preliminary evidence suggests that MSCs may be capable of differentiating into insulin-secreting cells, offering the potential to regenerate damaged pancreatic tissue. Although this is still experimental, it represents a promising avenue for future therapies.
Systemic Benefits of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes
MSC therapy may also address complications of type 1 diabetes, including:
– Minimizing immune-mediated atherosclerosis, which damages the brain, heart, eyes, kidneys, and blood vessels.
– Reducing insulin resistance caused by immune-mediated anti-insulin effects.
– Lessening the need for exogenous insulin while improving overall glucose control.
At Biotherapy International, our innovative research into mesenchymal stem cell therapy continues to explore its potential to reverse or mitigate type 1 diabetes. While still in the experimental stages, this therapy offers hope for not only slowing the disease’s progression but also addressing its life-altering complications. Further studies are necessary to confirm its efficacy and applicability in clinical settings.
Our Scientific Research on Diabetes
- Slavin S, Strober S, Fuks Z, Kaplan HS. Immunosuppression and organ transplantaton tolerance using total lymphoid irradiation (TLI). Diabetes 1980;29(Suppl 1):121-123.
- Britt LD, Scharp DW, Lacy PE, Slavin S. Transplantation of islet cells across major histocompatibility barriers after total lymphoid irradiation and infusion of allogeneic bone marrow cells. Diabetes 1982;31(Suppl 4):63-68.
- Slavin S, Britt LD, Scharp DW, Lacy PE. Treatment of experimental diabetes with histoincompatible islet allografts in rats conditioned with total lymphoid irradiation. In: Friedman EA, L’Esperance FA, Jr, eds. Diabetic Renal-Retinal Syndrome, 2: Prevention and Management. New York: Grune and Stratton 1982;519-528.
- Rossini AA, Slavin S, Woda BA, Geisberg M, Like AA, Mordes JP. Total lymphoid irradiation prevents diabetes mellitus in the bio-breeding/Worcester (BB/W) rat. Diabetes 1984;33:543-547.
- Slavin S, Weiss L, Weigensberg M, Morecki S, Fuks Z, Britt LD, Lacy PE, Scharp DW. Tolerance to alloantigens in rodents and reversal of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in tolerant rats by histoincompatible islet allografts. In: Shafrir E, Renold AE, eds. Lessons from Animal Diabetes. London: John Libbey 1985;606-609.
- Slavin S, Sidi H, Weiss L, Rosenmann E, Kalland T, Gross D. Prevention of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and autoimmune insulitis in NOD mice by Linomide, a new immunoregulator of autoimmune diseases. EOS J Immunol Immunopharm 1993:XIII;129
- Slavin S, Sidi H, Weiss L, Rosenmann E, Kalland T, Gross D. Linomide – a new treatment for autoimmune diseases – the potential for treatment of type I diabetes. Diabetes Metabolism Reviews 1993;9(4):311-315.
- Gross DJ, Sidi H, Kalland T, Rosenmann E, Weiss L, Slavin S. Prevention of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice by Linomide, a novel immunomodulating drug. Diabetologia 1994;37:1195-1201.
- Slavin S, Gross D, Weiss L. Can diabetes be prevented in Type 1 diabetes? Diabetes Prevention & Therapy. 1995;9(2)15-16.
- Rapoport MJ, Weiss L, Mor A, Bistritzer T, Slavin S.
Prevention of autoimmune diabetes by Linomide in NOD mice is associated with upregulation of the T cell receptor mediated activation of p21ras. J of Immunology 1996;4721-4725. - Gross D, Weiss L, Reibstein I, van den Brand J, Okamoto H, Clark A, Slavin S. Amelioration of diabetes in NOD mice with advanced disease by Linomide induced immunoregulation combined with REG protein treatment. Endocrinology, 1998; 139:2369-74.
- Weiss L, Slavin S, Reich S, Cohen P, Shuster S, Stern R, Kaganovsky E, Okon E, Rubinstein AM, Naor D. Induction of resistance to diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice by targeting CD44 with a specific monoclonal antibody. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (PNAS) 2000;(4);97:285-90.
- Gross DJ, Weiss L, Reibstein I, Hedlund G, Dalen E, Rapoport M, Slavin S. The immunomodulator Linomide: Role in treatment and prevention of autoimmune diabetes mellitus. International Immunopharmacology 12001:1131-1139.
- Elkin G, Prighozina T.B., Gurevitch O, Slavin S. Non myeloablative bone marrow transplantation based on deletion of host-anti-donor alloreactive cells prevents autoimmune insulitis and diabetic mice. Trans Proceedings 2002;34:1303-1306.
- Slavin S. Successful treatment of autoimmune disease in (NZB/NZW)F1 female mice by using fractionated total lymphoid irradiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1979;76:5274-5276.
- Fuks Z, Slavin S. The use of total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) as immunosuppressive therapy for organ allotransplantation and autoimmune diseases. Int J Rad Oncol Biol Phys 1981;7:79-82.
- Moscovitch M, Slavin S. Regulation of the immune response in experimental models of autoimmune disorders. 1. Immunocompetence and transplantation tolerance in (NZB x NZW)F1 hybrid mice immunosuppressed with total lymphoid irradiation and in reconstituted bone marrow chimeras. J Clin Lab Immunol 1983;4:185-191.
- Moscovitch M, Slavin S. Regulation of the immune response in experimental models of autoimmune disorders. 2. Induction of suppressor cells of the mixed lymphocyte culture in adult (NZB x NZW)F1 mice using total lymphoid irradiation. J Clin Lab Immunol 1983;11:67-74.
- Moscovitch M, Rosenmann E, Neeman Z, Slavin S. Successful treatment of autoimmune manifestations in MRL/1 and MRL/n mice using total lymphoid irradiation (TLI). Exp Molec Pathol 1983;38:33-47.
- Slavin S. The use of total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) for the treatment of autoimmune disorders. Is J Med Sci 1988; 24:375-8.
- Karussis DM, Slavin S, Ben-Nun A, Ovadia H, Vourka-Karussis U, Lehmann D, Mizrachi-Kol R, Abramsky O. Chronic-relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (CR-EAE): treatment and indution of tolerance, with high dose cyclophosphamide followed by syngeneic bone marrow transplantation. J Neuroimmunol 1992;39:201-210.
- Karussis DM, Slavin S, Lehmann D, Mizrachi-Koll R, Abramsky O, Ben-Nun A. Prevention of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and induction of tolerance with acute immunosuppression followed by syngeneic bone marrow transplantation. J Immunol 1992;148:1693-1698.
- Slavin S. Treatment of life threatening autoimmune diseases with myeloablative doses of immunosuppressive agents and autologous bone marrow transplantation – rationale and experimental background. BMT 1993;12:85-88.
- Slavin S, Karussis D, Weiss L, Vourka-Karussis U, Abramsky O. Immunohematopoietic reconstitution by allogeneic and autologous bone marrow grafts as a means for induction of specific unresponsiveness to donor-specific allografts and modified self in autoimmune disorders. Transplant Proc 1993;25:1274-1275.
- Karussis DM, Vourka-Karussis U, Lehmann D, Abramsky O, Ben-Nun A, Slavin S. Successful treatment of autoimmunity in MRL/lpr mice with T-cell depleted syngeneic bone marrow transplantation. EOS J Immunol Immunopharm 1993:XIII:78-79.
- Karussis DM, Lehmann D, Slavin S, Vourka-Karussis U, Mizrachi-Koll R, Ovadia H, Ben-Nun A, Kalland T, Abramsky O. Inhibition of acute, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by the synthetic immunomodulator Linomide, Ann. Neurol 1993 34:(5);654-660.
- Slavin S, Karussis DM, Weiss L, Karussis-Vourka U and Abramsky O. Induction of tolerance to allo and self-antigens with syngeneic bone marrow transplantation. Transpl. Proc. 1993;25:1274-1275.
- Karussis DM, Vourka-Karussis U, Lehmann D, Abramsky O, Ben-Nun A, Slavin S. Immunomodulation of autoimmunity in MRL/1pr mice with syngeneic bone marrow transplantation (SBMT). Clin Exp Immunol1995;100(1):111-117.
- Blank M, Tomer Y, Slavin S, Shoenfeld Y. Induction of tolerance to experimental anti-Phospholipid syndrome (APS) by syngeneic bone marrow cell transplantation. Scand. J. Immunol 1995;42:226-234.
- Slavin S. Autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of autoimmune diseases as a potential new approach. The Decade of Autoimmunity. (Yehuda Shoenfeld, Editor) Elsevier. 1999:399-408.
- Slavin S, Nagler A. Bone marrow transplantation for cancer and autoimmunity. Cancer and Autoimmunity. Editors, Y. Shoenfeld and Eric Gershwin. Elsevier, 2000:409-421.
- Slavin S, Nagler A, Varadi G, Or R. Graft vs autoimmunity following allogeneic non-myeloablative blood stem cell transplantation in a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia and severe systemic psoriasis and psoriatic polyarthritis. Exp Hematol 2000 Jul;28(7):853-7.
- Richard K. Burt, Walter Barr, Yu Oyama, Ann Traynor, Shimon Slavin. Future strategies in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for rheumatoid arthritis. J of Rheumatology. 2001;28(64);42-48.
- Burt R.K, Slavin S, Burns W.H, Marmont A.M. Induction of tolerance in autoimmune diseases by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Getting closer to a cure? Blood, 2001;99(3)768-784.
- Slavin S, Paveletic S, Burt B. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation of rheumatoid arthritis. 2002.
- Burt R.K, Slavin S, Burns W.H, Marmont A.M. Induction of tolerance in autoimmune diseases by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Getting closer to a cure? Int J of Hematology 2002;76 (Suppl 1):226-247. Also presented at the 29th World Congress of the International Society of Hematology (2002 Seoul ISH). Seoul, Korea. August 24th-28th, 2002.
- Burt KR, Verda L, Oyama Y, Statkute L, Slavin S. Non-myeloablative stem cell transplantation for autoimmune diseases. Springer Semin Immun (2004) 26:57–69.
- Slavin S, Marmont A, Burt R. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for autoimmune disease. Stem Cell therapy for Autoimmune Disease. Editors: Richard K. Burt & Alberto M. Marmont. Publishers: Landes Bioscience, Texas, USA. 2004:474-478.
- Burt RK, Verda L, Oyama Y, Statkute L, Slavin S. Non-myeloablative stem cell transplantation for autoimmune diseases. Chapter in Seminars and Immunopathology. Publisher Springer, Heidelberg, Germany. 2004;26:57-69.
- Burt R, Cohen B, Rose J, Petersen F, Oyama Y, Stefoski D, Katsamakis G, Carrier E, Kozak T, Muraro PA, Martin R, Hintzen R, Slavin S, Karussis D, Haggiag S, Voltarelli JC, Ellison GW, Jovanovic B, Popap U, McGuirk J, Statkute L, Verda L, Haas J, Arnold R. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis. Arch Neurol. 2005;62(6):860-864.