Top Companies Developing Cell Therapy Treatments For Diabetes in 2026

Below is a list of the top companies exploring cell therapy treatments for diabetes.

In this article:

• Companies Exploring Stem Cell Treatment for Diabetes
  1. Seraxis | Cell Replacement Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes
  2. Sollagen | Diabetic Ulcers and Chronic Wounds
  3. Unicyte AG | Diabetes Cell Therapy
  4. ViaCyte | Insulin for Diabetes
  5. Sernova | Stem Cell for Diabetes Treatment
  6. Betalin Therapeutics | Insulin Production
  7. AltuCell | Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes Type 2
  8. NextCell Pharma AB | Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes Type 1
  9. Osiris Therapeutics | Type 1 Diabetes Control
  10. Mesoblast | Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
  11. Evotec and Sanofi | Stem Cell for Diabetes
  12. Orgenesis | Insulin-Producing Cells
  13. Semma Therapeutics | Type 1 Diabetes Therapy
  14. Novo Nordisk | Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
  15. Beta-O2 | Artificial Pancreas for Diabetes
  16. Eli Lilly and Sigilon | Stem Cell for Diabetes
  17. Pharmacyte Biotech | Encapsulated Human Cells
  18. Vertex Pharmaceuticals | Stem Cell-Derived Insulin-Producing Cell Therapy
  19. Amarna Therapeutics | Investigational Gene Therapy
  20. Aspect Biosystems & Novo Nordisk| Implantable Bioprinted Tissues
  21. Adocia | doShell® Islets for Type 1 Diabetes
  22. NewcelX Ltd. | Stem Cell-Derived Islet Replacement for Type 1 Diabetes
      

Stem Cells for Diabetes Treatment

With an aging population, surging rates of obesity, and the incidence of diabetes on the rise, these  companies are exploring the use of stem cells and cell therapies for diabetes treatment.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 29.1 million people or 9.3% of the U.S. population has diabetes, including an estimated 8.1 million who are undiagnosed. According to the American Diabetes Association, the annual cost of this disease in the U.S. is “$245 billion per annum or approximately $500,000 every minute.”

Fortunately, companies and institutions worldwide are making progress with stem cell for diabetes treatment. In a historic achievement, the Diabetes Research Institute a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine announced the first diabetic patient in its clinical trial had stopped insulin therapy after the implantation of islet cells within a biological scaffold. Other innovative approaches to the treatment of diabetes are explored below.

Given the growing promise of regenerative medicine, the following companies are exploring the use of stem cells for diabetes.

1. Seraxis | Cell Replacement Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes

Seraxis Inc. is a privately owned biotechnology company with GMP labs located in Germantown, Maryland. Seraxis is developing a cell replacement therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes, called SR-01. Seraxis developed a proprietary induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) line that is specifically tailored to produce pure, fully mature lab-grown islets that respond to glucose and secrete insulin like a native islet.

In addition, Seraxis has developed SeraGraft, a device for the encapsulation of the cells and their implant. The biocompatible retrievable macro- device has been shown to be safe and to prevent the destruction of the insulin-producing cells by the host immune system.

2. Sollagen | Diabetic Ulcers and Chronic Wounds

3. Unicyte AG | Diabetes Cell Therapy

Unicyte has established a collaboration with Prof. Giovanni Camussi from Molecular Biotechnology Center (MBC) at the University of Turin. Through this alliance, Unicyte has developed three proprietary technology platforms:

• human liver stem cells (HLSCs)
• HLSC-derived functional pancreatic islets
• nano-extracellular vesicles

As stated by Unicyte, “Prof Giovanni Camussi recently discovered that Human Liver Stem Cells (HLSCs) are able to undergo differentiation into insulin-secreting cells. Moreover, HLSCs have been shown to aggregate and form three dimensional spherical structures resembling natural islets. HLSC-Islets secrete insulin and are positive for various hormones including glucagon, ghrelin, and somatostatin. When injected into animal models of Type 1 diabetes, these islet-like structures are fully functional and restore glycemic control.”

4. ViaCyte | Insulin for Diabetes

In February 2016, San Diego-based ViaCyte acquired an exclusive license to “BetaLogics intellectual property in the field of metabolic disease, including diabetes, and the transfer of related assets to ViaCyte.” The news positioned ViaCyte as a leader in stem cell therapeutics for the treatment of Types 1 and 2 diabetes.

According to Dr. Paul Laikind, ViaCyte’s President and CEO, “For more than a decade, BetaLogics and ViaCyte have been independently working toward a stem cell-derived therapy for diabetes. By combining the intellectual property and other assets of BetaLogics with ViaCyte, we will further strengthen our advanced program focused on insulin-dependent diabetes and solidify our leadership in the field.”

According to ViaCyte, it differentiates stem cells into pancreatic beta cell precursors (PEC-01™) and subcutaneously implants them into patients using a retrievable medical device (an Encaptra® cell delivery system), allowing the implanted precursor cells to mature into endocrine cells that can secrete insulin and other hormones in a controlled manner to support healthy blood glucose levels.

5. Sernova | Stem Cell for Diabetes Treatment

In September 2015, Sernova Corporation secured exclusive worldwide rights to patent-pending technologies developed by researchers at the University Health Network (UHN) in Canada, with the license giving them the capacity to turn stem cells into glucose-responsive therapeutic cells for use in the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes.

According to Sernova’s CEO, “This agreement provides us with a proprietary source of stem cell-derived glucose responsive therapeutic cells. When placed within Sernova’s pre-vascularized Cell Pouch(TM), and protected locally from immune system attack, we believe that Sernova has the potential to provide a significant breakthrough in the quality of treatment for the millions of people suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes.”

In January 2016, Sernova then announced a service agreement with the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) to “establish, optimize and validate Sernova’s licensed technology for creating stem cell-derived therapeutic cells that produce insulin and are glucose responsive.”

6. Betalin Therapeutics | Insulin Production

Betalin Therapeutics, Ltd., based in Ramat Gan, Israel, is led by Mr. Jacob Ben-Arie (CEO). The company is developing the engineered micro pancreas (EMP), a breakthrough technology that will enable it to implant pancreatic stem cells, which include insulin-producing cells, to restore the body’s intrinsic insulin generation capabilities. This miniature pancreas is implanted in the patient’s body under the skin using a local anesthesia with a minimal risk to the patient and costs of the procedure.

Betalin has acquired technology that is based on the premise that, in order for beta cells to function properly, it is necessary to provide an appropriate stromal (connective tissue) microenvironment. In its first phase, Betalin will use the platform technology to create engineered micro pancreata (EMPs) composed of naked islets (Io) and micro-scaffolds. Instead of using naked islets, EMPs will be used in islet transplantation therapy to provide significant levels of glucose-regulated insulin secretion over extended periods of time.

7. AltuCell | Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes Type 2

A small but powerful company working in this area is AltuCell, a company whose mission is to find a cure for insulin-dependent diabetes. Led by CEO Gary Harlem, AltuCell is a private pharmaceutical company with a world-renowned medical team spread across the U.S. and Europe. In a recent peer-review article published in the journal Xenotransplantation on September 27, 2016, AltuCell’s medical lead, Dr. Giovanni Luca, announced:

“In this study, the Calafiore group has transplanted microencapsulated porcine Sertoli cells into the subcutaneous fat of 30 type 2 diabetic-prone obese mice (db/db) after they had become frankly diabetic. Remarkably, 60% of the treated mice (18 out of the 30) had their glucose control restored and demonstrated normal glucose tolerance tests. The remaining 40% “failures” all showed improvements as assessed by reduced HbA1c levels. Control mice remained diabetic.” AltuCell’s preclinical breakthrough utilizing microencapsulated Sertoli cells to establish reversal of diabetes in a murine (mouse) mode is further highlighted in the article “Altucell Releases Evidence in Support of Microencapsulated Sertoli Cells for Reversal of Diabetes.”

8. NextCell Pharma AB | Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes Type 1

In July 2017, Stockholm-based NextCell Pharma submitted an application to the Medical Products Agency for a clinical trial in autoimmune diabetes with its stem cell product ProTrans™. Protrans™ is composed of stem cells derived from the umbilical cord tissue and intended for use in the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

More recently, NextCell Pharma AB announced on September 5, 2017, that its clinical trial application for ProTrans™ had been granted by the Ethics Committee. The clinical trial is designed to evaluate the safety of ProTrans™, as well as its ability to positively affect endogenous insulin production in adult Type 1 diabetes patients.

9. Osiris Therapeutics | Type 1 Diabetes Control

Osiris Therapeutics is exploring the use of its Prochymal cell therapy for multiple indications, including the treatment of diabetes. In 2014, Osiris completed a Phase II Type 1 diabetes clinical trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of Prochymal. Titled “PROCHYMAL® (Human Adult Stem Cells) for the Treatment of Recently Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM),” the clinical trial was completed in December 2014. Prochymal is an adult human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) product that may delay the progression of Type 1 diabetes by preserving beta cell function, and therefore, insulin production.

10. Mesoblast | Type 2 Diabetes Treatment

Mesoblast Limited is exploring the use of its human mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPC) product for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. It first demonstrated the efficacy of its product in preclinical trials when an injection of MPCs into diabetic mice produced an increase in blood insulin levels and a reduction in blood glucose levels.

Mesoblast then moved into clinical trials, publishing the results of its Phase 2 trial of its intravenously (IV) administered MPCs for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Titled “Allogeneic Mesenchymal Precursor Cells in Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Dose Escalation Safety and Tolerability Pilot Study,” it was the first controlled trial to investigate cell therapy using adult allogeneic mesenchymal lineage cells in subjects with Type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, it demonstrated the safety and feasibility of leveraging MPCs in subjects with Type 2 diabetes.

11. Evotec and Sanofi | Stem Cell for Diabetes

In August 2015, Evotec and Sanofi entered into a strategic alliance to develop a beta cell replacement therapy for diabetes. The partnership is focused on using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPS cells) to create functional human beta cells. According to the companies, “The agreement between Evotec and Sanofi triggers an upfront payment of € 3 m, potential pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones which could total over € 300 m as well as significant royalties and research payments.”

12. Orgenesis | Insulin-Producing Cells

Orgenesis Ltd. is developing a proprietary and patented platform technology called “transdifferentiation” in which an adult cell is converted into another type of cell. Using this technology, the company is producing autologous insulin-producing (“AIP”) cells that may have the capacity to turn the liver cells of diabetic patients into “fully functional and physiologically glucose-responsive insulin-producing cell, designed to provide long-term insulin independence.”

13. Semma Therapeutics | Type 1 Diabetes Therapy

17. Pharmacyte | Encapsulated Human Cells

PharmaCyte’s therapy for Type 1 diabetes and insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes involves “encapsulating a human cell line that has been genetically engineered to produce, store and release insulin in response to the levels of blood sugar in the human body.” PharmaCyte is exploring the use of genetically modified liver cells, stem cells and/or beta islet cells, with its encapsulation being done using Cell-in-a-Box^® technology. The vision is for the company’s encapsulated cells to be implanted into a diabetic patient and function as an “artificial pancreas” for purposes of insulin production.

18. Vertex Pharmaceuticals| Stem Cell-Derived Insulin-Producing Cell Therapy

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is developing VX-880, an investigational, allogeneic, stem cell-derived, fully differentiated insulin-producing islet cell therapy. Vertex recently released data that after a single infusion of VX-880, “all 12 patients demonstrated islet cell engraftment and glucose-responsive insulin production by Day 90.” If this can be replicated at a larger scale, this cell therapy could potentially eliminate or reduce the need for insulin use in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

19. Amarna Therapeutics| Investigational Gene Therapy

Amarna Therapeutics is developing Nimvec™ AM510, an investigational gene therapy product intended to treat type 1 diabetes (T1D). AM510 is currently a preclinical-stage program, but the company has received regulatory guidance from the U.S. FDA for AM510 and intends to pursue an IND. Preclinical data released by Amarna shows that Nimvec™ AM510 can exert “protective effects in delaying the onset of hyperglycemia and preventing the development of T1DM in relevant animal models.”

20. Aspect Biosystems & Novo Nordisk | Implantable Bioprinted Tissues

In April 2023, Aspect Biosystems and Novo Nordisk entered a partnership to develop implantable bioprinted pancreatic-like tissues that use  insulin-producing cells derived from stem cells. In those negotiations, it was agreed that Aspect would get $75M USD, plus up to $650M USD in future milestone payments per product arising from the collaboration, plus tiered royalties.

By combining their strengths, the goal of this collaboration is to develop implantable bioprinted tissues to “replace, repair or supplement” the biological functions that are compromised due to diabetes. The companies are developing an allogeneic product in order to support large-scale manufacturing and use.

21. Adocia | doShell® Islets for Type 1 Diabetes

Adocia is advancing cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes through its innovative AdoShell® Islets technology. This approach involves a hydrogel-based scaffold that encapsulates islets of Langerhans, the cells responsible for insulin production, to restore glycemic control. AdoShell® Islets offers significant advantages over traditional islet transplantation by eliminating the need for immunosuppressive drugs, thanks to its immuno-isolating design, and allowing retrieval of the implanted cells if necessary. The technology shows promise in early preclinical studies, maintaining glycemic control in diabetic rats without immunosuppression for over six months.

The company is focusing on life-saving applications for severe diabetes cases, using donor islets, while also exploring stem-cell-derived β-like cells to address donor scarcity. This approach has the potential to revolutionize diabetes treatment by reducing dependency on daily insulin injections and improving the quality of life for patients

22. NewcelX Ltd. | Stem Cell-Derived Islet Replacement for Type 1 Diabetes

NewcelX Ltd. is a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company developing stem-cell-derived therapies for Type 1 Diabetes. The company’s lead program, NCEL-101, is built on a validated human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) platform and is designed to restore functional insulin production through scalable, off-the-shelf islet cell replacement. This approach aims to replicate the role of native pancreatic islets, enabling glucose-responsive insulin secretion in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes.

In addition, NewcelX has entered a strategic collaboration with Eledon Pharmaceuticals to combine its cell replacement platform with Eledon’s investigational anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody, tegoprubart. This immune-modulation therapy is designed to prevent immune-mediated rejection of transplanted cells, a key barrier in cell-based diabetes treatments. Together, the integrated approach seeks to improve graft survival and durability, positioning NCEL-101 as part of a broader strategy aimed at achieving a potential functional cure for Type 1 Diabetes.