"Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Aberdeen University are working on labgrown treatment that could help hundreds of thousands of people Julia Kollewe https Insulin shots could become a thing of the past for type  diabetes patients thanks to a technology being developed by Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult a Londonbased notforprofit organisation and Aberdeen University. The preclinical results have encouraged CGT and Aberdeen University to create a spinout company called Islexa. It will manufacture labgrown islets the organoids responsible for insulin production by reprogramming donated pancreatic tissue. Only  people with type  diabetes in the UK  https receive an islet transplant each year owing to a lack of donors and the difficulty of extracting islets from pancreatic tissue.  Growing islets will significantly increase the number of patients who can receive the treatment Keith Thompson CGTs chief executive told the World Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine congress in London on Wednesday. He will run Islexa with Michael Bennet from CGT and Anne Lewendon from Aberdeen University. If clinical trials are successful the technology means tens of thousands more people could live without the need for frequent insulin injections although it will take a few years until the treatment is available. About  people in Britain have type  diabetes a number set to more than double to  by . Around the world  million people have type  diabetes. It is a lifelong condition that occurs when the pancreas does not produce any insulin while type  diabetes  https far more common especially as obesity rises around the world  is a condition where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the bodys cells do not react to it.  Prof Kevin Docherty from Aberdeen University said Donated islets are already effectively treating severe cases of type  diabetes. Having a hugely expanded supply of labgrown islets will enable us to significantly extend this established clinical treatment. CGT was set up in  and is based on the th floor of Guys hospital in London. It employs more than  people and has government backing through Innovate UK but also gets private funding through partnerships. It is building a m cell therapy manufacturing centre in Stevenage. Islexa will use CGTs labs at Guys and facilities at Aberdeen University. They are looking for investors to take Islexa all the way as a fully fledged external company. The promising early results have given them the confidence to form a wider consortium with the Scottish Islet Transplant Programme the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service. John Casey consultant transplant surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and lead clinician for the islet transplantation programme in Scotland said Islet transplantation can transform the lives of patients with type  diabetes and in some cases can result in longterm freedom from insulin injections with excellent glucose control."