NANJING, China — Chinese researchers have made two major medical breakthroughs by turning the human spleen into a living bioreactor that can both treat diabetes and grow functional human organs. The studies, published this month in Science Translational Medicine and Diabetes, show the spleen’s surprising potential as a platform for regenerative medicine.
Once seen as a disposable organ, the spleen is now emerging as an ideal site for organ regeneration. Scientists identified three key advantages: its porous structure can host billions of transplanted cells, its rich blood supply mimics natural organ development, and it can be reprogrammed without affecting vital functions.
The first breakthrough, led by Professor Dong Lei’s team at Nanjing University, focused on treating diabetes. Traditional liver islet cell transplants have a high failure rate, with over 60% of cases unsuccessful. To overcome this, researchers developed a two-part system. First, they wrapped insulin-producing islet cells in a layer of liver cells, forming a kind of “invisibility cloak” that protected them from immune attacks. Second, they used fibroblasts to form a scaffold that supported the transplanted cells.
The results were striking. Diabetic mice maintained normal blood sugar levels for more than a year — the longest recorded in similar experiments. The technique also used 40% fewer donor cells, offering hope amid a global shortage of transplantable organs.
“Our approach turns the spleen into a nurturing home for insulin-producing cells,” said Prof. Dong.
The second study, conducted by a team including Professors Dong Lei and Jian Xiao, expanded this concept further. They designed nanoparticles that can reprogram the spleen into a flexible bioreactor. These particles helped reshape the spleen’s environment by building extracellular scaffolds, promoting blood vessel growth, and reducing immune rejection. In a landmark trial, human islets matured successfully in the reprogrammed spleens of monkeys — a major step toward creating organs across species.
This spleen-based approach has already shown wide applications. It has helped regenerate liver functions in mice (2020), thyroid tissues in animals (2024), and now human insulin production in primates (2025).
Prof. Jian Xiao said the potential goes far beyond diabetes. “We’ve created a minimally invasive system where patients could one day grow personalized organs from their own cells,” he explained. The method uses guided ultrasound rather than major surgery and could help solve organ shortages by enabling growth of organs that are compatible across species.
With 537 million people worldwide living with diabetes, this breakthrough suggests a bold future: discarded organs may hold the key to life-saving treatments.
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