The Human Trial
Documentary about research into a cure for type 1 diabetes. Patients’ gripping stories are interwoven with scientists’ passionate quest for a medical breakthrough.
In 2011, filmmakers Lisa Hepner and Guy Mossman heard about a radical stem cell treatment for diabetes. Driven by a desire to cure Lisa of her own type 1 diabetes, the married couple secured unprecedented access to a clinical trial in San Diego. What follows is an intimate journey with the patients and scientists who put themselves on the line to be first. More than a decade in the making, THE HUMAN TRIAL shows the sweat, passion and sacrifice behind every breakthrough cure. It interweaves the stories of the patients – who have borne the physical and financial burdens of type 1 diabetes (T1D) – with the researchers who epitomize the struggle of innovating cures.