Timothy Kieffer
UBC diabetes researcher Timothy Kieffer has received a $599,996 grant from JDRF to find the most effective ways to transplant insulin-producing cells into people living with type 1 diabetes – a procedure that could one day reduce or eliminate their need for daily insulin injections.
The transplantation of clusters of insulin-producing cells for patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is quick and works very well, in many cases reducing or eliminating the need for insulin injections. Unfortunately, transplants relying on organ donors are difficult to come by, and only a small fraction of those who need them are actually candidates for the procedure because of the limited cell supply.
Dr. Kieffer, a Professor in the Department of Cellular and Physiological sciences, is generating insulin-producing cells from human stem cells and investigating the most effective way to deposit the cells under the skin. He and his team are testing the safety and efficacy of various approaches for implanting the cells, which can be produced in virtually unlimited quantities. Dr. Kieffer is hopeful that this will be a great option for treating diabetes in the near future.
“We have been successful in cultivating islet cells in the lab that are able to reverse diabetes when transplanted into mice,” Dr. Kieffer says. “These studies will identify a practical and clinically relevant procedure to effectively treat diabetes with human cells derived from stem cells, forming the basis for trials in patients.”
“Every time I speak with someone living with or affected by T1D, we talk about the burden, the stress of management and the constant fear of being too high or low,” said Dave Prowten, President and CEO of JDRF Canada. “The work that Dr. Timothy Kieffer and his team are doing is getting us closer to a world where insulin injections can be eliminated and the burden of this disease can be lifted.”
JDRF is the largest charitable supporter of T1D research.