Greenstone Biosciences Awarded Breakthrough T1D Grant to Advance Islet Cell Platform

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Greenstone Biosciences has been awarded a Breakthrough T1D 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.

Over 9.5 million people globally live with T1D, expected to rise to 14.7 million by 2040. Although T1D stems from an autoimmune attack on the pancreas, it shows significant variation among individuals, even those with similar autoantibody profiles. With support from Breakthrough T1D, 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.

“We are honored to partner with Breakthrough T1D,” said Dr. Angelos Oikonomopoulos, Principal Investigator at Greenstone Biosciences. “This grant enables us to build a scalable, multi-omics discovery engine that connects patient biology to therapeutic innovation.”

"Human pancreatic tissue is scarce, and animal models don't fully capture T1D's autoimmune process," said Alex Bashore, Scientist at Breakthrough T1D. "This islet model could become a key resource for T1D researchers."

“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. “Their ability to generate high-quality iPSC lines at scale will accelerate discovery for people living with T1D.”

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.

About Greenstone Biosciences

Greenstone Biosciences, based in the Stanford Research Park, integrates AI-based drug discovery with clinical genomics and iPSC and organoid platforms. Greenstone 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. Learn more at www.greenstonebio.com.

About Breakthrough T1D, Formerly JDRF

Breakthrough T1D 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.