Zimislecel (VX‑880): A Promising Stem Cell Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes

Zimislecel (VX‑880) is an investigational stem cell-derived islet cell therapy for type 1 diabetes. In Phase 1/2 trials, 10 of 12 participants achieved insulin independence, maintained HbA1c under 7%, and experienced no severe hypoglycemic events after one year, offering hope for a functional cure.

Table of Contents

News? In a study published in New England Journal of Medicine, Zimislecel enabled insulin production and improved blood sugar in 12 Type 1 diabetes patients within one year.

What is Zimislecel?

Zimislecel is an experimental therapy for Type 1 diabetes that involves infusing stem cell-derived islet cells into the liver to restore the body’s natural insulin production.

How It Works?

Type 1 diabetes destroys the body’s islet cells (in the pancreas), which produce insulin.
Zimislecel uses pluripotent stem cells, grown in a lab and matured into functioning insulin-producing islet cells.
These cells are then infused into the hepatic portal vein, aiming to settle in the liver and resume insulin production.

What are Stem Cells?

Stem cells are unique cells in the body that have two key properties:

Self-renewal: They can divide and make more copies of themselves over long periods.
Differentiation: They are unspecialized cells that have the potential to develop into many different types of specialised cells in the body, such as muscle cells, blood cells, brain cells, and more.

Types of Stem Cells

Embryonic Stem Cells – Pluripotent; can become any cell type.
Adult Stem Cells – Limited types; found in tissues like bone marrow.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) – Adult cells reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells.