Living Cell Technologies Receives Grant for Diabetes Clinical Trial

Living Cell Technologies has received a grant of US$500,000 for its on-going Phase II clinical trial of Diabecell in New Zealand from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF).

The first four patients have already received implants and early observations show clinical benefit without remarkable adverse events. The data safety monitoring board has approved proceeding with implants of a higher dose for the next four patients. The JDRF grant will contribute to the second portion of the Phase II trial, which will test the safety and efficacy of the treatment, given in higher amounts in patients with type 1 diabetes.

“The initial results from the first phase of the trial showed us a significant feature of LCT’s product in its ability to protect the cells from immune rejection without the use of immunosuppressive anti-rejection drugs,” said Dr Julia Greenstein, director of Beta Cell Therapies at JDRF.