BetaCellTherapy

BetaCellTherapy ('Beta Cell Programming for Treatment of Diabetes')  is a European research consortium of 24 partners, composed of Universities and excellent research institutes. The project is organised and co-ordinated by a scientific team located on the medical campus of Brussels Free University – VUB. BetaCellTherapy has important co-operations with the JRDF (Juvenile Research Diabetes Foundation) in the USA as well as other research initiatives on genomics, among which the EuroStemCell project and Eurotransplant providing donor pancreases to the Beta Cell Bank.

The scientists’ aim is to cure type 1 diabetes by developing strategies to preserve and restore beta cells. Stem cells are going to be reprogrammed so they can function as insulin producing beta cells in the patient’s pancreas. Clinical trials are planned and undertaken for both prevention and treatment of type 1 diabetes.

“BetaCellTherapy” is a five-year-project funded by the European Union within the Sixth Framework Programme for the thematic priority “Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health”.

For further information, please visit: http://www.betacelltherapy.org