Our Science

There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas no longer produces the insulin needed. It is usually diagnosed in childhood or early adulthood and is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases in developed nations.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease and occurs when the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin produced. The build up of glucose in the blood deprives the cells of energy and over time impacts eye, kidney, nerve or heart functioning.

Treatment for Type 1 diabetes is lifelong insulin replacement via as many as six injections per day. People living with diabetes must follow a healthy eating plan, exercise regularly and monitor their blood glucose levels up to six times a day. Blood glucose levels must be kept in a healthy range to help prevent short term and long term complications.

LCT aims to treat type 1 diabetes with DiabeCell®, a porcine, insulin-producing cell product. Healthy islet cells are encapsulated and transplanted into the body to produce insulin and regulate blood glucose levels. The capsules ensure that the cells are not recognised as foreign by the patient, so no immunosuppressant drugs are needed.

Facts about type 1 diabetes

• Diabetes is the world’s fastest growing chronic disease. It has been recognised by the UN as a major health crisis facing all nations of the world
• Diabetes currently affects 246 million people worldwide and the World Health Organisation expects this number to rise to 380 million by 2025
• Type 1 diabetes represents 10-15% of all diabetes cases
• In Australia, diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death
• 890,000 Australians are currently diagnosed but it is thought that the total number of Australians with Type 1 and 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes is around 3.2 million
• In 2007, diabetes cost the US economy $174 billion and it is estimated that one in every 10 health dollars in the US is spent on diabetes.
• It is estimated that approximately 4.9 million people (in all age groups) have type 1 diabetes. The European region has the highest estimated number of people with type 1 diabetes (1.27 million), followed by the North American region (1.04 million) and the South East Asian region (0.91 million)
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 2.5 to 15% of annual health budgets are spent on diabetes-related illnesses
• A person with diabetes incurs medical costs that are two to five times higher than those of a person without diabetes. This is due to more frequent medical visits, purchase of supplies and medication, and the higher likelihood of being admitted to a hospital.

HD is caused by a defective gene and usually strikes between the ages of 30 and 45 although it may appear earlier or later. Every child of an HD parent has a 50% risk of inheriting this genetic disease. There is a gradual physical, emotional and cognitive deterioration over 10 to 25 years, leading to total incapacitation and eventual death.

There is currently no known cure or effective treatment for HD. Symptoms include involuntary jerking movements of the limbs, face and trunk, increasing difficulty with communication, swallowing and walking; problems with planning, organisation and initiating, as well as personality change.

LCT is developing a treatment for HD, NTCell®, which involves implanting new choroid plexus cells (the cells that produce cerebral spinal fluid and a number of factors important for the health and survival of the brain) into the brain. The cells produce hormones called neurotrophins to help protect and repair the brain from damage.

Early results of pre-clinical studies have shown the ability of the technology to protect brain tissue that would otherwise die, potentially forestalling or even preventing the debilitating consequences of brain disease.

Facts about Huntington’s disease

• Every person who inherits the HD gene will eventually develop the disease
• Approximately 30,000 Americans have HD and over 200,000 more are at risk of inheriting it from a parent
• Current estimates suggest 1 in every 10,000 people in the US have HD
• In Australia, seven to 10 individuals per 100,000 people will be affected.