Abstract

Gene/Stem cells for treatment of diabetes

Roy Calne, Professor Emeritus of Surgery, University of Cambridge

There has been a surge of publications on this subject and our group is involved in both approaches. With experimental gene therapy we have had encouraging results following one intravenous injection of the human proinsulin gene in an AAV8 vector. Diabetic mice have been cured for more than one year and have been in good condition with normal weight gain. The advantage is one injection only. The liver produces constituative insulin which maintains near eu-glycaemia. The next step is to apply this experimental procedure to naturally diabetic dogs and to develop an effective glucose sensitive control of insulin release. Stem cell approaches are likely to be more expensive. The use of stem cells, both embryonic and adult requires potentially risky ex vivo cell culture and manipulation, an effective site and technique for cell transplantation and probably long-term immunosuppression or cell encapsulation.