On June 17, 2025, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) announced that Professor Bart Roep received a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant worth €2.5 million. The funding will back his team’s innovative work aimed at not just managing type 1 diabetes (T1D), but potentially curing it by making insulin-producing beta cells both stronger and “invisible” to the immune system.
Why beta cells become targets
In T1D, the immune system destroys the body’s own beta cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin. Without a cure, patients rely on insulin therapy, but still face long-term risks to their eyes, kidneys, and cardiovascular health. Roep’s group suggests that stressed beta cells produce a misfolded protein called DRiP, which inadvertently flags them for immune destruction. Their goal: to develop “stealth” beta cells that avoid immune detection.
Genetic “stealth valve” gives insight
The team recently identified a natural genetic variant that acts like a “steam-release valve” in the insulin gene. This variant allows beta cells to alleviate stress and avoid creating DRiP, leading to milder disease and better cell survival. By studying this variant in lab-grown beta cells derived from pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), the researchers aim to engineer these traits into replacement cells for transplantation. The LUMC’s GMP facility will support this effort to produce patient-ready beta cells.
Targeted “backpack” drug delivery
Roep’s team is also developing a bionic “backpack” system to deliver medication directly to stressed beta cells. These micro-carriers would release their payload only when encountering enzyme signals from stressed beta cells, offering precision therapy without systemic effects.
Personalized treatment strategies
Depending on genetic makeup and residual beta cell function, patients could receive either immune reprogramming (“reverse vaccination”) or transplants of engineered cells with the stealth variant. This personalized approach aims to tailor interventions to individual patient profiles .
A holistic strategy for cure
Robert’s vision combines foundational science- identifying DRiP as an immune flag, creating stress-resistant beta cells, and developing focused drug delivery systems with the goal of translating these findings into precise, patient-specific treatments. With the ERC grant, his team now has the resources to carry this ambitious project forward, aiming to fundamentally transform the lives of individuals with type 1 diabetes.
Read more here: https://www.lumc.nl/actueel/2025/erc-advanced-grant-bart-roep/
