Single Dose of Proprietary Adult Stem Cells Regenerates Damaged Pancreas
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Australia's regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited has announced significant preclinical trial results showing that the proprietary adult stem cell platform could be an effective treatment for diabetes.
In the study, led by Dr. Ravi Krishnan, Senior Scientist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, in collaboration with Mesoblast's United States-based associate company Angioblast Systems Inc., a single dose of the patented human Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) injected into mice with diabetes resulted in a significant increase in blood insulin levels and sustained reduction in blood glucose levels for the entire three week period of follow-up. This was due to restoration in the damaged pancreas of the balance between insulin-producing beta cells, which reduce blood glucose, and glucagon-producing alpha cells, which increase blood glucose.
Leading international diabetes expert Professor Michael Horowitz, Director of the Endocrine and Metabolic Unit at The Royal Adelaide Hospital, who has reviewed the results said: "These data are very exciting, and clearly demonstrate the potential of using these unique adult stem cells in the treatment of patients with Type 2 diabetes".
In the collaborative study, diabetes was induced by partial chemical destruction of the pancreas in 35 mice that were then randomized to receive either a single injection into the bloodstream of human MPCs or control. Three weeks later, MPC-treated diabetics had two-fold greater numbers of pancreatic islets than diabetic controls (p=0.0012), and a ratio of insulin-producing beta cells to glucagon-producing alpha cells which was 29% higher than in diabetic controls (p=0.005).
MPC-treated diabetics demonstrated a 35% maximal reduction in blood glucose levels (p=0.012) and a 34% increase in blood insulin levels (p=0.04) compared with diabetic controls over the three weeks of follow-up. No subjects had reduction in glucose levels below normal, indicating that MPCs may have a safer profile than insulin injections with respect to risk of hypoglycemia.
In the study, led by Dr. Ravi Krishnan, Senior Scientist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, in collaboration with Mesoblast's United States-based associate company Angioblast Systems Inc., a single dose of the patented human Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) injected into mice with diabetes resulted in a significant increase in blood insulin levels and sustained reduction in blood glucose levels for the entire three week period of follow-up. This was due to restoration in the damaged pancreas of the balance between insulin-producing beta cells, which reduce blood glucose, and glucagon-producing alpha cells, which increase blood glucose.
Leading international diabetes expert Professor Michael Horowitz, Director of the Endocrine and Metabolic Unit at The Royal Adelaide Hospital, who has reviewed the results said: "These data are very exciting, and clearly demonstrate the potential of using these unique adult stem cells in the treatment of patients with Type 2 diabetes".
In the collaborative study, diabetes was induced by partial chemical destruction of the pancreas in 35 mice that were then randomized to receive either a single injection into the bloodstream of human MPCs or control. Three weeks later, MPC-treated diabetics had two-fold greater numbers of pancreatic islets than diabetic controls (p=0.0012), and a ratio of insulin-producing beta cells to glucagon-producing alpha cells which was 29% higher than in diabetic controls (p=0.005).
MPC-treated diabetics demonstrated a 35% maximal reduction in blood glucose levels (p=0.012) and a 34% increase in blood insulin levels (p=0.04) compared with diabetic controls over the three weeks of follow-up. No subjects had reduction in glucose levels below normal, indicating that MPCs may have a safer profile than insulin injections with respect to risk of hypoglycemia.
