ViaCyte

ViaCyte is a regenerative medicine company committed to providing novel stem cell-derived cell replacement therapies as a functional cure for all Type 1 diabetes and a next-generation treatment for insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes. ViaCyte's PEC-Direct product candidate is currently under clinical development for Type 1 diabetes patients at the highest risk of life-threatening acute complications. For PEC-Direct, the pouch is designed to allow blood vessels to access the device and directly interact with the implanted PEC-01 cells. The direct vascularization of the implanted cells aims to achieve robust and consistent engraftment, but since the implanted cells are not hidden from the immune system, immunosuppressive therapy must be used. Patients receiving PEC-Direct must take immunosuppressants to protect the cells, making it suitable only for high-risk Type 1 diabetes patients.