Vertex news release on Friday: their 264 trial (encapsulated/protected islet cell device) failed in their phase 1/2 trial and they are not pursuing it further. This is so disappointing – I had high hopes about the success of this and a “cure” coming soon. The Vertex 880 program (with immunosuppression) is continuing, which indicates that the “envelope” device is what didn’t work, rather than the cells themselves, which is still positive news.
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Thanks for posting this, I hadn’t seen or heard about it. Sorry to hear it didn’t work, but I seem to recall and Thomas Edison quote that he “just found a way NOT to do it” rather than it can’t be done. I believe there are other methods of islet cell delivery without requiring immunosuppressants, here’s hoping they have more success!
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Once the explanted devices are analyzed, perhaps Vertex will be able to figure out why the encapsulation failed and if possible, design a better version for future clinical studies.
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