Japan Eyes Trial for Type 1 Diabetes Using iPS Cell Sheets

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Kyoto, Sept. 2 (Jiji Press)--Kyoto University Hospital said Monday that it will start a clinical trial as early as next year to transplant pancreatic cell sheets made from induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells into patients with severe Type 1 diabetes.

The treatment is expected to reduce or eliminate the need for insulin injections to lower blood sugar levels. The western Japan hospital plans to expand the scale of the trial to realize commercialization by the 2030s.

Type 1 diabetes is a condition where pancreatic islet cells, responsible for insulin production, deteriorate, making it difficult to control blood sugar levels.

Japan is believed to have 100,000 to 140,000 patients. They need daily insulin injections.

The trial will involve three Type 1 diabetes patients aged between 20 and 64.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Jiji Press