ABOVE: Sigilon Therapeutics has developed an approach that encases thousands of human cells (living cells in green, dead cells in red) in 1.5-millimeter gel-based spheres that facilitate the cells’ long-term function and protect them from attack by the patient’s immune system.
COURTESY OF SIGILON THERAPEUTICS
Each year, 40,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that wipes out insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells and raises blood glucose to dangerously high levels. Patients deal with the condition by self-administering insulin and managing their blood glucose levels around the clock—no easy feat, even for those who are aided by insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors that help determine insulin dosage. A small number of patients who find it particularly difficult to control their blood glucose levels are treated successfully by beta-cell transplants from cadaver donors. But the supply of these cells is tiny, and patients have to ...
