Objective
The goal of this project is to develop a faster, simpler, less expensive, and more reliable way to make insulin-producing cells from stem cells. When produced at a large scale, these cells could be transplanted into people with Type 1 Diabetes, eliminating their need for daily insulin injections.
To do this, we invented a new synthetic biology technology called the Cellgorithm (CGO). It works by giving stem cells a set of genetic instructions to follow, telling them how to become insulin-producing “beta-like” cells step by step—similar to how the body makes them during development.
We aim to find the best instruction sets, refine the production method so it’s simple and scalable, and show that these cells work in lab tests and animal models.
Background Rationale
Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a lifelong disease where the body’s immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Insulin is essential for regulating blood sugar, and without it, people with T1D must take insulin every day through injections or pumps. Even with modern devices, managing the disease is hard—blood sugar levels can swing dangerously, and long-term complications still occur.
The best hope for a real cure is to replace the lost insulin-producing cells. In fact, some people have already received treatments using donor cells from deceased individuals. These transplants can restore natural insulin production, but there are big problems: there aren’t enough donors, the treatments are very expensive, and the cells can be rejected by the immune system.
Scientists have also learned how to make insulin-producing cells from stem cells—special cells that can turn into many other types of cells. This means it may be possible to create unlimited supplies of insulin-producing cells. But right now, the methods for turning stem cells into pancreatic cells are very slow, expensive, and difficult to scale up. The process can take over a month, use many complex and delicate steps, and doesn’t always work reliably.
This research aims to solve those problems using a new synthetic biology approach. The team has developed a technology called the Cellgorithm (CGO). Rather than trying to mimic all the complicated conditions of the human body with chemicals and growth factors, CGO gives stem cells a precise set of genetic instructions. These instructions guide the cells through the steps of becoming insulin-producing “beta-like” cells. It’s similar to programming a computer: by controlling which genes are turned on and when, CGO simplifies the process and makes it more consistent and scalable. This approach is expected to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and make it easier to produce these cells in large quantities.
The rationale behind this research is simple but powerful: if we can make high-quality insulin-producing cells reliably and affordably, we can bring cell therapy within reach for the millions of people around the world living with Type 1 Diabetes. That would be a major step toward replacing insulin injections with a real, lasting solution.
Description of Project
People with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) must manage their disease every day by injecting insulin or using devices that monitor and deliver insulin. While these tools help, they do not cure the disease or prevent long-term complications. A true cure would be a replacement of the cells that are lost in T1D with new, fully functional insulin-producing cells.
This project introduces a new method to create insulin-producing “beta-like” cells from stem cells using a synthetic biology approach. The innovation comes from a system called the Cellgorithm (CGO), which programs cells by turning on genes in a specific sequence—like following a recipe step-by-step. This approach aims to simplify and speed up the complicated process of turning stem cells into working insulin-producing cells.
Currently, making beta cells is slow, expensive, and unreliable at the large scale needed to treat humans. The CGO system overcomes these barriers by using genetic instructions instead of expensive chemicals and growth factors. This could make it possible to manufacture insulin-producing cells more efficiently and at lower cost.
The research has three main goals:
1) Identify the best gene instruction sets (CGOs) that turn stem cells into insulin-producing cells.
2) Optimize the process so that it works efficiently using only simple culture steps, enabling large scale production.
3) Test the resulting cells in lab models and small animals to see if they can respond to sugar and make human insulin.
We have already shown that the CGO approach can activate key genes in the right order, and early experiments show promise in making cells that look like early pancreatic cells. If successful, this project will help pave the way to safe, effective, and accessible cell therapies that could replace insulin injections and change the lives of people with T1D.
Anticipated Outcome
The expected outcome of this project is a new way to produce insulin-making cells that is much more efficient and affordable than existing methods. Using the Cellgorithm technology, the researchers aim to create cells that act like normal pancreatic beta cells—releasing insulin when blood sugar is high.
If successful, the project will show that it’s possible to make these therapeutic cells using simple instructions instead of complicated procedures that have been difficult to use at the large scale needed for number of people living with Type 1 Diabetes. The new method will reduce time, cost, and failure rates, bringing us closer to an off-the-shelf cure for people with Type 1 Diabetes.
Relevance to T1D
Type 1 Diabetes is caused by the loss of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Current treatments help manage blood sugar, but they do not replace these lost cells. Some patients have received transplants of insulin-producing cells from organ donors. These transplants have proven to be effective for people with T1D, but this approach is limited by donor shortages and high costs.
This project offers a new solution: using stem cells and synthetic biology to create insulin-producing beta cells with an affordable and scalable process. These stem cell-derived beta cells could be transplanted into people with Type 1 Diabetes, restoring their ability to make insulin naturally.
By making the process cheaper and more reliable, this research could make beta cell replacement therapy accessible to millions of people living with T1D—and potentially provide a lasting cure.