Kumar D, Tanwar R, Gupta V. First-ever stem cell therapy restores insulin independence in type 1 diabetes: A medical milestone. World J Stem Cells 2025; 17(7): 106856 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i7.106856]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Dinesh Kumar, Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, Desh Bhagat University, Amloh Road, Mandi Gobindgarh 147301, Punjab, India. dineshpotlia123@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Cell Biology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Stem Cells. Jul 26, 2025; 17(7): 106856 Published online Jul 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i7.106856
First-ever stem cell therapy restores insulin independence in type 1 diabetes: A medical milestone
Dinesh Kumar, Rajni Tanwar, Vrinda Gupta
Dinesh Kumar, Rajni Tanwar, Vrinda Gupta, School of Pharmacy, Desh Bhagat University, Mandi Gobindgarh 147301, Punjab, India
Author contributions: Kumar D, Tanwar R, and Gupta V contributed equally to the drafting and writing of the manuscript. Kumar D conceptualized the study and prepared the main draft; Tanwar R handled literature referencing and data analysis; Gupta V contributed to writing and revisions.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Dinesh Kumar, Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, Desh Bhagat University, Amloh Road, Mandi Gobindgarh 147301, Punjab, India. dineshpotlia123@gmail.com
Received: March 11, 2025 Revised: May 14, 2025 Accepted: June 23, 2025 Published online: July 26, 2025 Processing time: 137 Days and 16.8 Hours
Abstract
Stem cell therapy has emerged as a groundbreaking treatment approach, particularly for type 1 diabetes, where the autoimmune destruction of beta cells necessitates regenerative strategies to restore insulin production. This article focuses on the recent medical milestone in which autologous stem cell therapy led to insulin independence in a type 1 diabetes patient. This article explores the role of stem cell therapy in reversing diabetes, focusing on the recent medical milestone in which stem cell therapy successfully reversed diabetes in a patient. Stem cells, particularly induced pluripotent stem cells, are used to regenerate pancreatic cells that produce insulin, thereby potentially eliminating the need for insulin injections. The study highlights both the promises and challenges of using stem cell therapy for diabetes including concerns about durability of the response, safety and long-term functionality of generated beta cells. Clinical trials and the ethical considerations of using stem cells are also discussed, along with future directions for stem cell-based diabetes therapies.
Core Tip: Stem cell therapy is emerging as a promising approach for type 1 diabetes by regenerating insulin-producing beta cells. This article highlights the first reported case of insulin independence using autologous induced pluripotent stem cell-derived islet-like cells and critically discusses clinical trial trends, ethical concerns, and safety considerations. While not yet a cure, these developments offer a glimpse into the future of regenerative diabetes therapy.
