First immune-evading cells created to treat type 1 diabetes

Scientists have made a major advance in the pursuit of a safe and effective treatment for type 1 diabetes, an illness that impacts an estimated 1.6 million Americans with a cost of $14.4 billion annually. Using stem cell technology, researchers generated the first human insulin-producing pancreatic cell clusters able to evade the immune system. These ‘immune shielded’ cell clusters controlled blood glucose without immunosuppressive drugs once transplanted in the body.