Scientists Make Huge Strides In Fight Against Type 1 Diabetes

Wed, 31 Aug 2011

Scientists have developed a new drug treatment which they claim will save people with type 1 diabetes from a lifetime of insulin injections.

The new treatment, codenamed DiaPep277, reportedly works by blocking the process which causes the body’s immune system to attack the vital, insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas in people with Type 1 diabetes.

The international team of scientists claim the drug will enable the body to carry on producing its own insulin to help control blood sugar levels, eventually allowing the pancreas to recover and make enough to support the body completely.

It will also reduce the risk of side effects linked with synthetic insulin, which can mirror diabetes complications such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease that might require a transplant, say the scientists.

DiaPep277 is currently being tested at 140 centres in the UK, as well as in laboratories across Europe, North America, South Africa and Israel, and is expected to hit global markets by mid-2014.

Lead researcher Dr. Shlomo Dagan, of Andromeda Biotech in Israel, said: "We have proved in earlier trials that our compound stops the immune system attacking the pancreas."

"There is evidence to suggest that using the drug over a period of time, maybe a couple of years, will allow the pancreas to recover enough to make more insulin . In that situation the patient could stop injecting insulin ."

Dr. Eleanor Kennedy, spokeswoman for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, commented: "The research on this shows it may well be possible that patients could cope without the need for any insulin injections . This is very exciting."

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