Greenstone Biosciences Awarded Breakthrough T1D Grant to Build a T1D-Derived Islet Cell Platform
核心洞察
Greenstone Biosciences (搜索) received a Breakthrough T1D (搜索) Industry Discovery and Development Partnership grant to develop a T1D-derived islet cell platform for studying insulin-producing β cells.
The project will generate induced pluripotent stem cells from diverse T1D patients and build 3D pancreatic islet organoids to examine β-cell responses to inflammation, metabolic stress, and protective therapies.
Multi-omics technologies, including single-cell RNA sequencing and proteomics, will identify pathways that render some β cells more vulnerable, uncovering targets unresolved by existing T1D models.
Greenstone Biosciences (搜索) has been awarded a Breakthrough T1D (搜索) Industry Discovery and Development Partnership (IDDP) grant to develop a T1D-derived islet cell platform aimed at understanding and protecting insulin-producing β cells in people with type 1 diabetes (搜索) (T1D). The award, announced from Palo Alto, California, supports the creation of a scalable, multi-omics discovery engine that connects patient biology to therapeutic innovation.
Over 9.5 million people globally live with T1D, a figure expected to rise to 14.7 million by 2040. Although T1D stems from an autoimmune attack on the pancreas, the disease shows significant variation among individuals, even among those with similar autoantibody profiles. This heterogeneity underscores the need for human-relevant models that capture the full complexity of the condition.
Building a Human Islet Cell Platform
With support from Breakthrough T1D (搜索), Greenstone plans to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a diverse group of T1D patients and develop 3D pancreatic islet organoids — lab-grown structures containing insulin-producing β cells — to examine how these cells respond to inflammation, metabolic stress, and potential protective therapies.
"Human pancreatic tissue is scarce, and animal models don't fully capture T1D's autoimmune process," said Alex Bashore, Scientist at Breakthrough T1D (搜索). "This islet model could become a key resource for T1D researchers."
"We are honored to partner with Breakthrough T1D (搜索)," said Dr. Angelos Oikonomopoulos, Principal Investigator at Greenstone Biosciences (搜索). "This grant enables us to build a scalable, multi-omics discovery engine that connects patient biology to therapeutic innovation."
Multi-Omics Approach to Uncover Vulnerable β-Cell Pathways
The project will apply multi-omics technologies — including single-cell RNA sequencing, chromatin accessibility mapping, proteomics, and metabolomics — to identify pathways that make some β cells more vulnerable, uncovering targets that cannot be resolved using existing T1D models. All iPSC lines will be banked as a renewable resource, with summary-level data shared publicly.
"Greenstone Bio has built one of the most advanced human cell platforms in the field," said Dr. Joseph Wu, Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and Co-Founder of Greenstone Biosciences (搜索). "Their ability to generate high-quality iPSC lines at scale will accelerate discovery for people living with T1D."
About Greenstone Biosciences
Greenstone Biosciences (搜索), based in the Stanford Research Park, integrates AI-based drug discovery with clinical genomics and iPSC and organoid platforms. The company maintains the world's largest human iPSC biobank, with more than 2,500 patient lines spanning diverse diseases, ancestries, and genetic backgrounds, and applies FDA- and NIH-advocated New Approach Methods (NAMs) to advance human-centric therapeutic development.
Breakthrough T1D (搜索), formerly JDRF, is the leading global T1D research and advocacy organization, working to make everyday life with T1D better while driving toward cures through research investment, advocacy, and education.