Cellular Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes Using Mesenchymal Stem Cells

This study seeks to find and enroll participants between the ages of 18 to 40 with new onset Type 1 diabetes (T1D) within 6 months of the first dose of insulin. T1D is an autoimmune disease in which T cells attack and destroy insulin-secreting pancreatic β cells leading to insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia in patients. Life-long insulin therapy is the major treatment option. However, insulin therapy is not a cure and a safer and more effective therapy is needed.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) have emerged as a novel biopharmaceutical approach for many disorders. MSCs are a cellular product that can be derived from a patient's own body (autologous) or from a donor (allogeneic). This study will obtain MSCs from umbilical cords at the time of delivery from normal women who have been extensively screened for infectious diseases. These cells produced at the MUSC Center for Cellular therapy will be used within 3 passages after collection.

Evidence from animal models and clinical trials suggests that MSC infusion suppresses autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as T1D. One clear message from these trials is that MSCs are effective at suppressing autoimmunity and seem generally safe. This study will measure safety and efficacy of MSCs over the course of 1 year.