Today, ViaCyte shared an update on its latest clinical trial for type 1 diabetes (T1D). The company is based in San Diego and is developing two stem cell-based products that attempt to replace the pancreatic beta islet cells that are attacked by the immune system of patients with T1D.
Their first product, called VC-01 or PEC-Encap, is an implantable device containing embryonic stem cells that develop into pancreatic progenitor cells, which are precursors to the islet cells destroyed by T1D. The hope is that when this device is transplanted under a patient’s skin, the progenitor cells will develop into mature insulin-secreting cells that can properly regulate the glucose levels in a patient’s blood. Because the cells are encapsulated in a protective semi-permeable membrane, hormones and nutrients can pass in and out of the device, but the implanted cells are guarded against the patient’s immune system. VC-01 is currently being tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial that is funded CIRM.
ViaCyte now has a second product called VC-02, or PEC-Direct, that also transplants pancreatic progenitors but in a device that allows a patient’s blood vessels to make direct contact with the implanted cells. This “direct vascularization” approach is being tested in patients that are at high risk for severe complications associated with T1D including hypoglycemia unawareness – a condition where patients fail to recognize when their blood glucose level drops to dangerously low levels because the typical symptoms of hypoglycemia fail to appear.
ViaCyte’s PEC-Direct device allows a patient’s blood vessels to integrate and make contact with the transplanted beta cells.
In May, ViaCyte announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved their Investigational New Drug (IND) application for PEC-Direct, which gave the company the green light to proceed with a Phase 1 safety trial to test the treatment in patients. ViaCyte’s pre-IND work on PEC-Direct was supported in part by a late stage preclinical grant from CIRM.
Today, the ViaCyte announced in a press release that it has treated its first patients with PEC-Direct in a Phase 1/2 trial at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta and at the UCSD Alpha Stem Cell Clinic in San Diego, California.
“The first cohort of type 1 diabetes patients is receiving multiple small-format cell-filled devices called sentinels in order to evaluate safety and implant viability. These sentinel units will be removed at specific time points and examined histologically to provide early insight into the progression of engraftment and maturation into pancreatic islet cells including insulin-producing beta cells.”
The news release also revealed plans for enrollment of a larger cohort of patients by the end of 2017.
“A second cohort of up to 40 patients is expected to begin enrolling later this year to evaluate both safety and efficacy. The primary efficacy measurement in the trial will be the clinically relevant production of insulin, as measured by the insulin biomarker C-peptide, in a patient population that has little to no ability to produce endogenous insulin at the time of enrollment. Other important endpoints will be evaluated including injectable insulin usage and the incidence of hypoglycemic events. ViaCyte’s goal is to demonstrate early evidence of efficacy in the first half of 2018 and definitive efficacy 6 to 12 months later.”
President and CEO of ViaCyte, Dr. Paul Laikind, is hopeful that PEC-Direct will give patients with high-risk T1D a better treatment option than what is currently available.
ViaCyte’s President & CEO, Paul Laikind
“There are limited treatment options for patients with high-risk type 1 diabetes to manage life-threatening hypoglycemic episodes. We believe that the PEC-Direct product candidate has the potential to transform the lives of these patients and we are excited to move closer to that goal with the initiation of clinical evaluation announced today. This also represents a step towards a broader application of the technology. We remain fully committed to developing a functional cure for all patients with insulin-requiring diabetes. To that end, we are hard at work on next-generation approaches as well, and expect the work with PEC-Direct to further advance our knowledge and drive progress.”
Related links:
The Stem Cellar 
Lets get it on fellows I have been waiting for something new for 40 years and can not wait to get started!