Quebec man among first in Canada to receive lab-grown cell transplant for Type 1 diabetes

A Montrealer is the first in Quebec to receive lab-grown islet cells in a clinical trial aiming to reduce or eliminate insulin use for Type 1 diabetes.

A 58-year-old Montrealer is the first patient in Quebec to receive a transplant of lab-grown cells to help treat his Type 1 diabetes — a milestone in an international clinical trial underway at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

Bruno Houde, who was diagnosed with the disease at age seven, said life with diabetes has felt like an endless battle.

“It’s a nightmare because you’re fighting something that just always sneaks up on you,” he said. “You never win. You always end up losing.”

People with diabetes, which affects more than 300,000 Canadians, must regularly monitor their blood sugar levels and take insulin daily. Poorly controlled glucose can lead to serious complications, and even death.

Houde says that, thanks to this experimental procedure, his insulin dose dropped by 40 per cent since his transplant in November 2024. His doctors hope the injections could stop altogether as the cells continue maturing inside his body.

Dr. Sara Meltzer, the trial’s co-investigator and an endocrinologist at the MUHC, emphasized that this isn’t a magic fix. The cells continue developing even after infusion, and the patient still has a critical role to play.

“These cells are not 100 per cent mature. They finish growing once they’re in the patient,” she said. “And that takes time.”

The procedure involved a transplant of islet cells — tiny clusters within the pancreas that regulate blood sugar. Traditionally, those cells come from organ donors. In Houde’s case, they were grown entirely in a lab from human stem cells.

“We’re looking at the possibility of having an inexhaustible supply of these cells,” said Dr. Steven Paraskevas, the principal investigator of the trial and a transplant surgeon at the MUHC. “That’s incredibly exciting.”

He said traditional islet transplants are limited by donor availability and the fact that only a fraction of transplanted cells tend to survive. Most patients need cells from two or more donors, added Dr. Paraskevas.

With lab-grown cells, that barrier could disappear — though the treatment still requires immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection.

According to Dr. Meltzer, Houde’s commitment made him a strong candidate. “He was really good at managing his diabetes with a huge amount of effort,” she said.

Houde continues to undergo weekly follow-ups at the MUHC, a trek he always makes by bike. The trial requires long-term monitoring of up to five years to fully assess outcomes and potential side effects.

The study is sponsored by U.S. pharmaceutical company Vertex, which announced encouraging preliminary results in June 2024. The full-dose treatment, given to a dozen patients at that point, showed promise in reducing or eliminating the need for external insulin.

The MUHC is one of four sites in Canada and 30 worldwide participating in the trial.

Health Canada and the FDA are watching closely, said Paraskevas.

“They need data to decide whether this product can become available to the general population of people with diabetes,” he said. “We’re still a few years away, but we’re hoping it could be a real game-changer.”

Quebec designated the MUHC in 2022 as the province’s only centre for islet transplantation. While approval may still be years off, Houde said the changes he’s already seen have transformed his life.

“The biggest difference is how I feel,” he said. “I’m not afraid to do something because I might have a hypoglycemia. It’s wonderful. It’s just a miracle.”