The US Food and Drug Administration have given regenerative medicine company Viacyte the go-ahead to evaluate its insulin-making cell pouch in humans. The San Diego-based biotech plans to promptly initiate a phase 1/2 trial in type 1 diabetes with its human embryonic stem cell–derived product, VC-01, to treat type 1 diabetes. VC-01 consists of pancreatic progenitor cells, called PEC-01 cells, derived from a human embryonic stem cell line, encapsulated in Viacyte's Encaptra device and implanted under the skin. The expectation is that the encapsulated cells will mature into insulin-producing beta cells to regulate blood glucose.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
First stem cell—derived islets in humans. Nat Biotechnol 32, 969 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1014-969d
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1014-969d