I posted this a long time ago but I think it’s extremely important it gets reiterated.
I’m sitting here writing this at 4am after waking from a hypo. Diabetes is a brutal condition and believe me when I say: no one wants this to be the solution more than I do.
The study is exciting research. The neodermis is a novel implantation site - large surface area, easy to access, easy to monitor, and easy to retrieve cells from if needed. The fact that BTM may enable viable implantation in this otherwise low-oxygen, low-vascular-density environment is a huge testament to how bloody amazing the product is.
But we need to be clear: this is not a diabetes cure. Not yet.
The main goal of the study was to explore one more place to stick the beta cells. That’s it. And while that’s valuable, a viable site alone doesn’t solve the big problems.
I feel however people forget the facts that:
-These transplants would still require immunosuppressants to prevent rejection (this drawback often outweighs the benefits to the use of islet cells)
- Islet cells are incredibly difficult to retrieve from donors and difficult to transport. They cannot survive the freezing/thawing process other organs can. So there is simply an islet supply issue, not enough people die
-Even with immunosuppressants, islet cells still tend to die or be killed over time therefore it is not a permanent solution (only 60% achieve insulin independence after 5y, although this number is improving).
To give you an idea: there were just 750 islet transplants worldwide from 2000 to 2012. Perhaps there’s more today, but that’s not a big market and not much BTM either. There’s a it’s a niche, last-resort therapy for those who can’t manage T1D by other means. Just because we can now place the cells elsewhere, that isn’t going to change.
Until we fix the supply problem and the rejection problems, BTM can still only be used in fairly rare cases where traditional management of diabetes is no longer an option. Put simply, this is one piece in a huge puzzle. BTM could absolutely help make transplants more effective—perhaps reducing the need from 2–3 donors per transplant to one, or extending graft longevity. But until the supply and immune rejection problems are solved, this won’t meaningfully move the needle.
Once these problems are solved, however, the market size will be astronomical. No doubt this tech could become hugely significant, but only when paired with other solutions.
Sorry to put a dampener on things but there are a lot of other pieces that need to fall into place before BTM is used in a genuine "diabetes cure”.
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