http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4703108§ion=news
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Type 1 diabetes occurs in genetically susceptible people when a faulty immune response targets and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Researchers have now been able to stop this "autoimmune" damage happening in mice.
An inflammatory body chemical called macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is associated with autoimmune diseases and with septic shock, Dr. Yousef Al-Abed explained to Reuters Health at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in Anaheim, California.
Together with his team, Al-abed, at North-Shore-Long Island Jewish Research Institute in Manhasset, New York, developed a compound -- ISO-1 -- that binds to MIF, thus blocking its inflammatory effects.
When administered to mice before they were treated chemically to induce diabetes, ISO-1 completely prevented the onset of high blood sugar levels. And in mice bred genetically to develop diabetes, 90 percent of the animals were protected.
The protection was long lasting; 10 days of treatment prevented diabetes occurring for at least the next 50 days. "That's why we call it a vaccine-like drug," Al-Abed said. Doses 10 times higher than those required to prevent diabetes appeared to be harmless to the animals.
He suggested that people at risk for developing diabetes would perhaps benefit the most from early treatment with ISO-1, and they could be identified by genetic screening at birth or by testing for antibody markers later in life.
His group hopes to start testing ISO-1 in dogs and monkeys within the next year, in preparation for moving into early human safety trials.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Type 1 diabetes occurs in genetically susceptible people when a faulty immune response targets and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Researchers have now been able to stop this "autoimmune" damage happening in mice.
An inflammatory body chemical called macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is associated with autoimmune diseases and with septic shock, Dr. Yousef Al-Abed explained to Reuters Health at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in Anaheim, California.
Together with his team, Al-abed, at North-Shore-Long Island Jewish Research Institute in Manhasset, New York, developed a compound -- ISO-1 -- that binds to MIF, thus blocking its inflammatory effects.
When administered to mice before they were treated chemically to induce diabetes, ISO-1 completely prevented the onset of high blood sugar levels. And in mice bred genetically to develop diabetes, 90 percent of the animals were protected.
The protection was long lasting; 10 days of treatment prevented diabetes occurring for at least the next 50 days. "That's why we call it a vaccine-like drug," Al-Abed said. Doses 10 times higher than those required to prevent diabetes appeared to be harmless to the animals.
He suggested that people at risk for developing diabetes would perhaps benefit the most from early treatment with ISO-1, and they could be identified by genetic screening at birth or by testing for antibody markers later in life.
His group hopes to start testing ISO-1 in dogs and monkeys within the next year, in preparation for moving into early human safety trials.
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