Trial of xenotransplantation treatment for diabetes kicks off in Argentina

Australian-New Zealand biotech Living Cell Technologies has expanded its clinical trials to a third region, kicking off a study of its DIABECELL treatment for Type 1 diabetes in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The xenotransplantation treatment uses insulin-producing cells from pigs that are specially encapsulated and surgically implanted into the patient, allowing them to produce insulin.

Read more about xenotransplantation here.

Two patients with Type 1 diabetes have already been signed up, with up to six more to be added to the trial, including individuals with unstable diabetes and severe hypoglycaemia.

The patients in the trial will each receive two implants of DIABECELL three months apart, which is a different approach to that used in previous trials.

“We have a treatment that works,” said LCT medical director and acting CEO Bob Elliott. “However, during this next stage of our clinical trial we will use fewer insulin producing cells, implanted on two occasions and also utilise a different implantation technique to determine if we can provide patients with even greater benefit. The cells were produced by an improved technique that can also be more readily upscaled,” he said.

“We hope to see the effect of these even lower and repeated doses. We are looking for most effective combination before we enter into our final stages of commercialisation.”

LCT will also employ a new variation of the company’s patented IMMUPEL cell encapsulation technique. The new process avoids a source of capsule imperfection that may affect function. IMMUPEL is used to encapsulate the porcine insulin producing cells to prevent rejection by the recipient.

LCT stock (ASX:LCT) rose 5% today to 6c in afternoon trading.