Hey readers! 🎙️
If you've been anywhere near the T1D community this week, you've probably heard the buzz about a certain podcast episode. The Juicebox Podcast sat down with "Patient 9" from the Eledon clinical trial, and her story is one you'll want to hear. Beyond that headline, we've got fresh research on mRNA-based beta cell protection, a new cellular therapy approach pairing engineered immune cells with lab-grown beta cells, and updates on the tech that keeps us going day to day. Let's dig in.
🎧 Patient 9 Speaks: Inside the Eledon Islet Transplant Trial
This is the story everyone's talking about this week, and for good reason.
#1787 Cured? Patient 9 Speaks - In this deeply personal episode, host Scott Benner interviews Katie Beth Hand, the ninth patient in the Eledon clinical trial at the University of Chicago, about her experience receiving donor islet cells transplanted into her liver and protected by a new immunotherapy called Tegoprubart. – Scott Benner, Juicebox Podcast
What makes this trial different from previous islet transplant efforts is the drug protecting those cells. Tegoprubart (nicknamed "Tego") is a targeted anti-CD40 ligand that shields the transplanted islets without the kidney toxicity and neurotoxicity associated with traditional immunosuppressants like tacrolimus. That distinction matters enormously, because it's the harsh side-effect profile of older drugs that has historically limited who can qualify for islet transplantation.
Katie's results are striking. Just one week after her transplant, she was taken off basal insulin entirely. She now maintains stable glucose levels without injections, and the exercise-induced and nighttime lows that plagued her for 13 years have disappeared. As she put it candidly:
"I have to be on a medication for the rest of my life. I am trading diabetes for a different type of medication."
That honesty is refreshing. This isn't a simple "and then everything was perfect" narrative. Katie currently receives an hour-long IV infusion every 21 days, though researchers are working toward a subcutaneous version that would make the regimen far more practical. Her story underscores both the real promise and the real trade-offs involved in these emerging therapies. It's worth your time to listen to the full conversation for the emotional weight behind the clinical details, the 13 years of diabetes management that led her to this point, and the community support that carried her through.
🔬 Research Watch: Protecting Beta Cells From the Inside Out
Nanoparticle system shows promise for delivering mRNA to prevent type 1 diabetes - University of Chicago researchers have engineered lipid-based nanoparticles that deliver PD-L1 mRNA directly to beta cells, helping them evade autoimmune attack and delaying T1D onset in mouse models. – University of Chicago Medical Center
This research takes a fundamentally different approach from the Eledon trial above. Rather than transplanting new cells and protecting them with drugs, this team is asking: what if we could teach existing beta cells to hide from the immune system? The nanoparticles deliver mRNA that codes for PD-L1, a protein that essentially tells T cells to stand down. In both mouse and human beta cell experiments, the approach worked, and it delayed diabetes progression in mice carrying transplanted human islets.
"Nanomedicine approaches were central to the clinical success of RNA vaccines. Our conceptual and technological advances establish a strong foundation for extending this paradigm to metabolic diseases."
The team is also exploring GLP-1 receptor targeting to improve delivery precision. This is still early-stage, preclinical work, but the concept of using mRNA technology (the same platform behind COVID vaccines) to protect beta cells is a compelling direction.
A bold new plan could finally cure type 1 diabetes - Scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina are developing a two-part therapy combining stem-cell-derived beta cells with CAR-engineered regulatory T cells that act as immune "bodyguards." – ScienceDaily
This approach pairs lab-grown beta cells with specially engineered Tregs that carry chimeric antigen receptors designed to recognize and protect those cells. Think of it as giving the new beta cells their own dedicated security detail. The goal is an off-the-shelf therapy that could work regardless of how long someone has had T1D, funded by $1 million from Breakthrough T1D.
⚙️ Tech & Tools Update
iLet Bionic Pancreas System - Beta Bionics' FDA-approved AID system requires only your weight to start, with no basal rates, carb ratios, or correction factors needed, and adjusts insulin up to 288 times daily. – American Diabetes Association
Diabeloop DBLG2 - Now FDA-cleared and CE-marked, this algorithm maintains roughly 70% time-in-range even when users skip meal announcements about 9% of the time. – Diabeloop
Dexcom G7 for Type 1 - The G7 offers 15-day sensor wear, 8.0% MARD accuracy, and predictive alerts up to 20 minutes before lows, with integration across 90+ health apps and devices. – Dexcom
Omnipod 5 - The tubeless hybrid closed-loop system now works with Dexcom G7, adjusting basal insulin every five minutes and achieving 76% time-in-range in adult trials. – Omnipod
🤝 Get Involved
Take part in type 1 diabetes clinical trials - Breakthrough T1D UK is recruiting for two trials: SOPHIST (sotagliflozin for T1D with heart-failure symptoms) and T1D-Plus (beta-cell preservation in newly diagnosed adults), with tools to find additional studies. – Breakthrough T1D UK
"Without volunteers taking part in these studies, it would not be possible to develop any new therapies for type 1."
Katie Beth Hand's story this week is a powerful reminder that every clinical trial participant is someone's neighbor, someone's friend, someone who decided the risk was worth it. If you've ever considered participating in research, the link above is a good place to start exploring what's available.
Until next week, take care of yourselves out there. 💙
Made with ❤️ by Data Drift Press - Hit reply with your questions, comments, or feedback. We read every message!