Sana Biotechnology announced the start of a phase 1 clinical trial with a stem-cell-derived cell therapy, designed specifically to not require immunosuppressive drugs.
One of the biggest obstacles for transplants of insulin-producing cells has always been the need to suppress the recipient's immune system to prevent rejection, which carries significant long-term risks.
If this trial's results are favorable, it could open the door to safer, more accessible cell therapies for people with type 1 diabetes, though the researchers themselves stress that this is a very early stage of research.