Stem-Cell Success Poses Immunity Challenge for Diabetes

October 14, 2014

(Nature) – A remaining hurdle is shielding the cells from immune attack. This is necessary if the treatment is to become more widely available, because immunosuppressant drugs can be justified only in the most severe cases of diabetes. And although mature ?-cells could be derived from a patient’s own skin cells, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, so transplanted cells would still be vulnerable to attack.