Research areas: Stem Cell Medicine > Immune Development

The challenge 

Insulin is a hormone that helps move glucose, the body’s main source of energy, from the bloodstream into cells, where it is used for everyday functions. Without insulin, glucose builds up in the blood, leaving the body without usable energy. 

In type 1 diabetes (T1D), the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin‑producing beta cells in the pancreas. Once these cells are lost, the body can no longer produce insulin. People with T1D must therefore rely on insulin pumps or daily insulin injections to survive. 

Our research focuses on understanding how and why this autoimmune attack begins and finding new ways to treat or prevent T1D. 

Why this research matters 

We know the immune system causes the damage in T1D, but we still don’t fully understand why it targets healthy insulin producing beta cells. This knowledge gap makes it difficult to develop new therapies. 

By studying how immune cells behave and communicate, we aim to uncover what triggers this harmful response and how to stop it. 

Study details 

Using stem cells to model disease 

To better understand T1D, we recreate key cell types involved in the disease using stem cell technology. We generate both: 

• Immune cells, and 
• Insulin-producing beta cells 

These are derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) taken from both healthy individuals and people with T1D. 

Building the immune system in the lab 

We create a wide range of immune cells, including: 

• T cells 
• B cells 
• Antigen-presenting cells (such as macrophages) 

We also develop haematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells, which allow us to build mouse models with a fully functional human immune system. These “humanised” models give us a powerful way to study how T1D develops and progresses. 

Developing better beta cells 

A key part of our research is improving how we generate insulin-producing beta cells from iPSCs. These cells serve two important purposes: 

1. Towards personalised therapies

We aim to develop reliable methods to produce beta cells that could be used in autologous (patient-specific) cell therapies.  While it is already possible to create beta cells from stem cells, current methods are not consistent enough for widespread clinical use. Our work focuses on: 

• Improving efficiency 
• Increasing purity 
• Enhancing cell function 

This will help move closer to personalised treatments for people with T1D. 

2. Studying disease mechanisms

We use these beta cells in our humanised mouse models to recreate understand how T1D develops. By combining a human immune system and human beta cells, we can directly observe how the immune system attacks the beta cells and test new therapies that may stop or slow disease progression. 

Outcomes & impact 

Through this research, we aim to: 

• Better understand how the immune system works 
• Discover why autoimmune diseases like T1D occur 
• Identify new treatment approaches 

Our goal is to improve outcomes for people living with T1D and move closer to long-term solutions. 

Funding

This research is kindly supported by: 

• Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF21CC0073729) 
• Diabetes Australia 
• Breakthrough T1D 
• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) 

Contact us

For more information, please contact us.

Professor Ed Stanley Laboratory Head, Immune Development
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Dr Jacqui Schiesser, Team Lead, Beta Cell Replacement
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