Sana Biotech’s islet cell therapy shows promise in diabetes; shares surge 150% postmarket

Shares of Sana Biotechnology surged 150% on Tuesday postmarket after preliminary results from a novel clinical study that may have significant implications for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.

Conducted in collaboration with Uppsala University Hospital, the study tested the company’s engineered islet cell therapy, UP421, in a patient with type 1 diabetes, without the use of immunosuppressive drugs.

The initial findings, observed four weeks post-transplantation, indicate that the transplanted pancreatic beta cells are surviving and functioning, as evidenced by detectable levels of C-peptide, a marker of insulin production.

Notably, the study reported no adverse safety issues, and the MRI scans confirmed the continued presence of the transplanted cells, suggesting that they have successfully evaded the body’s immune response.

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