Fig. 1
From: Current progress in stem cell therapy for type 1 diabetes mellitus
Attempts to cure T1DM. The discovery of insulin has enhanced the life span of T1DM patients, and successes in islet/pancreas transplantation have provided direct evidence for the feasibility of reestablishing β cells in vivo to treat T1DM. However, the restriction of a pancreas shortage has driven scientists to generate IPCs, and even whole pancreas, in vitro from hESCs, iPSCs, and adult stem cells. Studies focusing on the immune mechanism of T/B cell destruction in T1DM have made breakthroughs. Gene therapy has shown great promise as a potential therapeutic to treat T1DM, although its safety still needs to be confirmed in humans