Scientists have developed a method to control diabetes without injections

Scientists have successfully implanted CRISPR-edited pancreatic cells into a human for the first time.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to Nature, these cells not only began producing insulin but also managed to evade attack by the immune system.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system mistakenly destroys the beta cells in the pancreas responsible for insulin production. Without this hormone, the body cannot regulate blood sugar levels, and patients must administer daily injections.

To prevent transplant rejection, researchers removed two genes from the cells that normally allow the immune system to recognize foreign elements, and added the protein CD47. It acts as a kind of "shield," signaling immune cells "not to attack." As a result, the donor cells successfully engrafted and produced insulin for six months without requiring lifelong immunosuppressants.

So far, the experiment has been conducted with only one patient and a small dose of cells, but specialists call it an important breakthrough. According to them, the combination of gene editing technologies and growing cells from stem cells could lead to the development of a fundamentally new therapy that would free millions of people with diabetes from regular insulin injections.