The Human Trial

Lisa Hepner, Guy Mossman VS 2022 93 min.

Type 1 Diabetes is a serious condition that affects about 9 million people worldwide, with 500,000 new cases every year. Filmmaker Lisa Hepner herself has also been struggling with the disease for 30 years. Recently, she signed up for a groundbreaking clinical trial that involves implanting stem cells to hopefully make insulin again. An intimate look at patients' lives and the challenges they face as they draw hope from this new, innovative treatment.

Married filmmakers Lisa and Guy get unprecedented, real-time access to a clinical trial in San Diego. The trial is only the sixth embryonic stem cell trial in the world. Could this therapy provide a solution to a disease that kills more than five million people every year? Patients and scientists retell their poignant stories, showing how much blood, sweat and tears go into pioneering medical research.