Doug Melton's use of stem cells to treat type 1 diabetes is progressing.

Doug Melton's son Sam was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was six months old.
He couldn't believe it: "I remember that night, my wife and I stabbed him in the heel and said, 'It's impossible, it's impossible...'" he said.
" after his daughter was diagnosed with the same disease.
, Melton gave up his work at Harvard University to study frog eggs and grew pancreatic cells from scratch in the lab.
type I diabetes do not contain beta pancreatic cells, which Melton believes could be replaced by embryonic stem cells to grow new tissue.
Melton's efforts include a 30-person lab at Haver University and Semma Therapeutics, a startup named after his children.
but stem cells can take a lot of time and money to develop tissue, and Melton admits that the process is fraught with errors and obstacles.
certainly doesn't like the failure of so many scientific experiments, " he said.
" In fact, there is no field in biotechnology that achieves less than the promised stem cell therapy.
only a few people have been studied, but no significant results have been achieved.
can be grown into any tissue in the human body by collecting cells from in-body fertilized embryos and is therefore considered to have an unlimited supply of alternative tissue.
sounds simple, but it's not.
melton and his team took 15 years to figure out the whole process, which is how each molecule changes to become a beta pancreatic cell capable of secreting insulin and glucose.
process requires the use of chemicals and 3D culture systems, as well as high-rotation so that full-featured beta pancreatic cells can be cultured within 30 days.
, Melton finally confirmed that human beta pancreatic cells transplanted into mice effectively controlled blood sugar over a six-month period.
believes the same can be done in the human body and extends the efficacy to a year, which is now Semma's goal to design an implantable sac to protect cells.
Semma has raised nearly $50 million over the past two years from venture capital firms and California stem cell agencies, including Novarma and Medtronic.
s going to invest a lot of money in the experiment," William Sahlman of Harvard University's business school told Semma's board.
": the global insulin market exceeds $30 billion a year, and test bars and detectors are twice as likely.
because their own immune system attacks pancreatic cells that regulate blood sugar, people with type I diabetes measure their blood sugar themselves and inject insulin several times a day.
their life expectancy is likely to be reduced by more than a decade.
"You can think of cell therapy as the most natural solution.
not solved by technology, you can re-own the cells that have disappeared.
," Melton said.
several other companies are also trying to create a technology solution that uses electronics to create an artificial insulin that combines it with glucose level detection, which includes an insulin pump, a sensor, and algorithms to control measurements.
a similar "closed-loop" system from Medtron has been approved by the FDA, and the device, called the MiniMed 670G, is about the size of a smartphone and has performed well in earlier experiments.
, a Google sister company, is itself developing ultra-thin sensors for glucose-detecting contact lens boxes.
San Diego-based ViaCyte has teamed up with Johnson and Johnson to make its first attempt to use human embryos to create a device for pancreatic cells.
to put immature cells in transplantable bags in the hope that they would differentiate in the body, and a clinical trial was started last year.
Semma also believes that embryonic stem cells should not only be cultured into beta cells, but also to develop into other auxiliary cells in the pancreas, including alpha, beta, and gamma.
was a complex project that combined bionics.
, Semma and partner Felicia Pagliuca, from Melton Labs, said: "In evolution, there is a reason these cells are adjacent.
" is developing an iPhone-sized device model that shields the immune system so patients don't have to take immunosuppressive drugs.
, vice president of Semma, said his team simulated physiological processes in and around the body through different ratios of oxygen, nutrient levels and insulin levels.
outside experts say it is impossible to protect cells.
"I'm not optimistic about that, and I don't think these stem cell-packed things can provide any answers.
" David Cooper, a professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh who has been working on the study of human insulin in pigs, said, "I personally don't think such a device will succeed, given that the body releases a lot of cytokines, antibodies, and other compounds when stimulated by foreign sources."
it can't shield all the toxic substances.
there is no evidence that a small capsule can protect you from the immune response at all.
" in addition, every year after the operation also needs to be taken into account.
many diabetics operate in their 50s, 60s or even 70s? What is the effect of repeating the scar on the surgical site? Melton said the inconvenience of surgery was compared to the thousands of people who had their fingers pierced to measure blood sugar and inject insulin multiple times a day.
said: "My son said they wouldn't think about it if they had surgery once a month, which I think is a bit extreme, but if it's twice a year, it's still possible."
if this device is not implemented, Semma has a backup plan.
received a $5 million donation from CIRM, the California Stem Cell Agency has created islet cells in the patient's own tissue by inducing cynic stem cells.
this is a process of reprogramming human cells, such as skin cells, into stem cells.
cells are not identified by the body as foreign and do not require excessive protection to avoid the damage to cells caused by type I diabetes.
Semma believes they can help a small number of people with diabetes with different causes.
Semma is still unsure when implantable pancreatic biotechnology will be completed.
means Melton's children have to wait a little longer.
I'm sorry, it's taken too long.
," Melton said, but it really works.
"