Savvy Updates 9/15/25

In this week’s issue of The Savvy Diabetic: 

• • NEW WEBSITE: T1D to 100 –  About Type 1 Diabetes and Aging
  • Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplant Without Immunosuppressants
  • Individualized Care and Support Key for Older Adults with Diabetes Technology
  • How Will You Thrive With Time In Range

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Heads Up!  New Website on T1D and Aging Launches on 15 September 2025!

T1D to 100: Living longer. Aging smarter. Together. 

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First-of-Its-Kind Cell Transplant Brings a Cure For Diabetes Closer by Michael Irving for ScienceAlert.com, 18 August 2025.

 A patient with type 1 diabetes has begun producing his own insulin after receiving a transplant of pancreatic cells.  For the first time in humans, these islet cells have been genetically edited so they wouldn’t be rejected by the patient, removing the need for immunosuppressant drugs. Type 1 diabetes usually begins when the immune system mistakenly attacks the islet cells in the pancreas, which are responsible for producing insulin. The condition is generally managed with a careful diet and regular insulin injections, but an emerging treatment involves replacing the damaged islet cells with functional ones.

In a new proof-of-concept study, a 42-year-old male patient, who had had type 1 diabetes since the age of 5, received a transplant of islet cells from a healthy donor. The cells were delivered through a series of injections into the muscle of his forearm.  The research was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Over the next 12 weeks, the cells successfully produced insulin in response to glucose spikes, such as after meals. But the most crucial aspect is that the patient didn’t require immunosuppressants. Before the cells were implanted, three genetic edits were made using the CRISPR tool. Two edits reduced the amount of particular antigens that adaptive T cells use to identify foreign objects. The third boosted production of a protein called CD47, which in turn blocks innate immune cell responses.  Not all of the gene edits were successful, but in a way that provided an intriguing control group. Cells with no successful edits were killed off by T cells within a few weeks, while those that knocked out the antigen production were still wiped out by natural killer cells and macrophages.  Only those with three successful edits survived, and thankfully, there were enough of them in the graft to remain functional.

Read more: First-Of-Its-Kind Cell Transplant Brings a Cure For Diabetes Closer

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Individualized care, support system key to initiating diabetes devices for older adults by Michael Monostra for Healio.com/endocrinology, 12 September 2025.

Health care professionals should take an individualized approach when prescribing diabetes technology for older adults and devise strategies that best fit each person’s needs, according to three presenters. During a session at the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists annual meeting, two diabetes care and education specialists and a patient with type 1 diabetes for more than 60 years discussed barriers older adults with diabetes face in using diabetes devices. 

“What matters to [older adults] is improved quality of life,” Christina R. Whitehouse, PhD, AGPCNP-BC, CDCES, FADCES, associate professor in the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University, said during a presentation. “We want individuals to live to their maximum potential, and how we can help them as educators is to give them the tools to do that.”

Nancy A. Allen, PhD, ANP-BC, FADCES, FAAN, professor at the University of Utah College of Nursing, said that of all U.S. adults with diabetes, 29% are aged 65 years and older.  “We also know that we have fewer than 7,300 board-certified geriatricians in the U.S. to care for this population,” Allen said during a presentation. “We only have between 5,000 and 6,000 endocrinologists, and the population of older adults with diabetes is only growing.”

Joanne Milo, MBA, a patient with type 1 diabetes for more than 60 years, talked about how insulin pumps, CGM, and automated insulin delivery have greatly benefited her and other older adults with diabetes. Milo recommended creating cheat sheets or mobile apps to assist device users with routine tasks, conducting new research to explore solutions for device-related skin issues, and enhancing user-controlled volume alerts and tools to address hearing and vision loss. Milo also suggested that companies should devise ways to help older adults with dexterity, such as rubber holders, improved syringes, prefilled insulin cartridges, and vials in various shapes and colors.  Milo said older adults need trained health care professionals and recommended the creation of a registry of diabetes care and education specialists, nurses, and physical assistants to assist patients with finding support. She added that there is also a need for diabetes care and education specialists who are trained in analyzing diabetes device data and making glycemic management adjustments based on the numbers. 

Read more:  Individualized care, support system key to initiating diabetes devices for older adults

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How Will You Thrive With Time In Range? by TimeInRange.org.

The Time in Range Coalition is working together to change the world of diabetes. We are people with diabetes, researchers, leaders from diabetes-focused organizations, and industry partners. Our goal is to make time in range, along with time above range and time below range, the centerpiece of modern diabetes care to complement A1C and provide insights that help you respond to your blood sugar in real-time. The Time in Range Coalition is changing what it means to live with diabetes. 

Our coalition is about the freedom and quality of life that comes with having an accurate, real-time map of your blood sugars. Time in range (TIR) can help lead to better sleep, less time spent on diabetes management, less stress, and more time doing what you want to.

Here’s who we’re working with to create this change …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more: Time In Range Coalition