New foundation shortens pathway to a cure for type 1 diabetes
The foundation’s founders, Anders Eriksson and Mats Gustafsson, are both self-employed in their own businesses. Both have a background in the finance industry, and both have a child with type 1 diabetes. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala universitet
Professor Per-Ola Carlsson’s research into a cure for type 1 diabetes has attracted a great deal of attention following some positive results. Through donations from two private individuals, a foundation has now been set up to support the next stage in this development.
Per-Ola Carlsson, Professor of Medical Cell Biology. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University
“This is a very welcome initiative that will help us get our planned clinical trials up and running faster, as soon as two to three years from now,” says Per-Ola Carlsson.
Today, severe cases of type 1 diabetes can be treated with transplantation of donated insulin-producing cells. However, preventing rejection of the transplanted cells requires lifelong treatment with immunosuppressive drugs, which have side effects such as increased susceptibility to infection, increased cancer risk, and kidney failure.
Encouraging results
This past summer, the New England Journal of Medicine published Carlsson’s ground-breaking study which used insulin-producing cells that had been genetically modified in three specific steps to remove the cell properties that the immune system reacts to and thus prevent rejection. The study was the first to be conducted in a patient. The results showed that the method has the potential to become a curative treatment for all type 1 diabetes.
“Today, almost ten months after the transplant, the transplanted cells are still functioning – without immunosuppressive drugs and without signs of rejection. These are incredibly encouraging results that we want to build on as soon as possible. This could completely change the chances of developing a curative treatment for type 1 diabetes,” notes Carlsson.
The next step is to conduct a new clinical trial involving three different dosages of these cells. In parallel with this, the research team needs to get the production of stem-cell derived insulin-producing cells with these modifications up and running in large quantities. A supply of these cells is vital for the study.
Contribution to the clinical trials
The foundation’s founders, Anders Eriksson and Mats Gustafsson, are both self-employed in their own businesses. Both have a background in the finance industry, and both have a child with type 1 diabetes. They have been following research in the field closely for a long time, and after reading about the study in the media last winter, Anders Eriksson immediately contacted Professor Carlsson.
“I visited his research group in Uppsala and felt that I really wanted to contribute in some way. That was when I realised that money was needed to launch clinical trials as soon as possible,” Anders Eriksson explains.
Anders Eriksson and Mats Gustafsson have been following research in the field closely for a long time. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala universitet
His contacts with Uppsala University in the spring led him to the conclusion that he wanted to set up a foundation to support this development, together with Mats Gustafsson.
“Setting up a foundation linked to Uppsala University turned out to be surprisingly smooth sailing. We now hope that more people will see that potential and want to contribute; either to our foundation’s capital or in some other way,” adds Anders Eriksson.
Anneli Waara
Foundation for Type 1 Diabetes Research
The purpose of the foundation is to support urgent research into type 1 diabetes, primarily research into treatment with insulin-producing cells without immunosuppression. The foundation is permitted to accept donations.