Beta cell programming for treatment of diabetes

Objective

Diabetes is a frequent chronic disease that reduces quality of life and increases risks for life-threatening complications. Its onset in younger patients is caused by massive losses in insulin-producing beta cells. Regenerating a functional beta cell mass is thus a major goal in biomedicine and in society. Beta cell grafts prepared from human pancreases can cure the disease but development of this form of beta cell therapy is hindered by shortage in donor organs. Our consortium with leading teams in molecul ar, developmental and functional biology has worked out an integrated program to generate insulin-producing beta cells in therapeutic quantities and established interactions to translate knowledge to associated bioindustry and multicenter clinical trials, as well as to society. Nature's biologic program to develop and preserve a functional beta cell mass throughout life is taken as platform for directing strategies towards laboratory production of a therapeutic beta cell mass. Beta cells will be derived fro m embryonic stem cells and from transdifferentiating liver, intestinal and pancreatic exocrine cells. Functional genomics will be used to compare phenotypes of beta cells from new sources with those isolated from the pancreas. This analysis will direct fur ther research and judge on the start of preclinical testing. It will also generate new tools and quality control criteria that will allow standardization of ongoing trials and adjustments in graft biology to increase its long-term survival and function in patients. The consortium considers its plan realistic in its perspective to help develop a cure for diabetes by (re)programming cells for beta cell therapy.

Field of science

• /medical and health sciences/clinical medicine/endocrinology/diabetes
• /medical and health sciences/medical biotechnology/cells technologies/stem cells

Programme(s)

• FP6-LIFESCIHEALTH - Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health: Thematic Priority 1 under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006.

Topic(s)

• LSH-2003-1.2.4-4 - Regeneration therapies for pancreas and/or liver

Call for proposal

FP6-2003-LIFESCIHEALTH-I
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

IP - Integrated Project

Coordinator

VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL

Address

Pleinlaan 2
Brussels
Belgium

Participants (23)

CHRISTIAN DE DUVE INSTITUTE OF CELLULAR PATHOLOGY

Belgium

Address

Avenue Hippocrate 75/75.50
Brussels

UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN

Denmark

Address

Norregade 10
Copenhagen

TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY

Israel

Address

Ramat Aviv
Tel Aviv

UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA

Spain

Address

Campus Universitari Uab
Bellaterra (Cerdanyola Del Vallès)

LUND UNIVERSITY

Sweden

Address

Paradisgarten 5C
Lund

UNIVERSITY OF BATH

United Kingdom

Address

Claverton Down
Bath

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

United Kingdom

Address

Gower Street
London

JDRF CENTER FOR BETA CELL THERAPY IN DIABETES VZW

Belgium

Address

Laarbeeklaan 103
Brussels

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE

France

Address

3 Rue Michel Ange
Paris

INSTITUT D'INVESTIGACIONS BIOMEDIQUES AUGUST PI I SUNYER

Spain

Address

Villarroel 170
Barcelona

BETA-CELL NV

Belgium

Address

Kranenberg 6
Zellik

THROMB-X NV

Belgium

Address

Herestraat 49
Louvain

NOVO NORDISK A/S

Denmark

Address

Novo Alle
Bagsvaerd

CELLARTIS

Sweden

Address

Arvid Wallgrens Backe 20
Gothenburg

COPENHAGEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL RIGSHOSPITALET

Denmark

Address

Blegdamsvej 9
Copenhagen

UNIVERSITAIR ZIEKENHUIS BRUSSEL

Belgium

Address

Laarbeeklaan 101
Brussels

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM

Israel

Address

The Authority For Research And Development, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram
Jerusalem

CENTRE EUROPÉEN DE RECHERCHE EN BIOLOGIE ET MÉDECINE

France

Address

1 Rue Laurent Fries
Illkirch

ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE

Switzerland

Address

Batiment Ce 3316 Station 1
1015 Lausanne

FACULTÉ DE MEDECINE, UNIVERSITÉ DE GENÈVE

Switzerland

Address

Rue Michel-servet, 1
Geneva

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTÉ ET DE LA RECHERCHE MÉDICALE

France

Address

101 Rue De Tolbiac
Paris

UNIVERSITY OF LIÈGE

Belgium

Address

Place Du Xx Août, 7
Liège

UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PERUGIA

Italy

Address

Piazza Dell'università, 1
Perugia