Nanotech Vaccine Successfully Cures Type-1 Diabetes in Mice By Alessandra Calderin Posted 04,.08.2010 at 6:04 pm
An innovative nanotech "vaccine" has been proven to cure type 1 diabetes in mice, and paves the way to do the same for humans. A dose of therapeutic nanoparticles given to diabetic mice restored healthy sugar levels in the rodents. The nanoparticles making up the vaccine, thousands of times smaller than the cells they act on, are coated with protein fragments that suppress the autoimmune response that's characteristic of diabetes. Most importantly, unlike existing treatments for autoimmune disorders, the particles do all this without compromising the rest of the immune system.In autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes, the body basically wages war on itself. "Essentially, there is an internal tug-of-war between aggressive T-cells that want to cause the disease [by destroying useful beta cells in the pancreas], and weaker T-cells that want to stop it from occurring," said Dr. Pere Santamaria, the leader of the project. The nanovaccine helps to suppress the immune attacks by blocking the stimulus that causes the aggressive T-cells to attack. "The potential that nanoparticle vaccine therapy holds in reversing the immune attack without generally suppressing the immune system is significant," said Dr. Teodora Staeva of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which funded the research. "Dr. Santamaria's research has provided both insight into pathways for developing new immunotherapies and proof-of-concept of a specific therapy that exploits these pathways for preventing and reversing type 1 diabetes." The technology behind the nanovaccine, following further research, may prove widely applicable to treat other autoimmune diseases, like arthritis and multiple sclerosis, as well.
I wonder if this is for newly diagnosed people still going thru a honeymoon stage or if it could help with those of us that don't have any insulin producing cells left?
I feel like research is finally heading in the right direction recently now that they are looking at the auto-immune response as well as transplants, stem cells, etc!
I have my fingers crossed that all of us will enter a nursing home (or our children's home, lol) insulin free! *fingers crossed*
Some research has suggested that when the immune system stops attacking cells that they tend to grow back. I'm not sure if that counts for us long timers, but it may for some of us.
Some research has suggested that when the immune system stops attacking cells that they tend to grow back. I'm not sure if that counts for us long timers, but it may for some of us.
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It does count! The Joslin 50-Year Medalist Study has found that many of the medalists are still making a little bit of insulin. The beta cells keep trying to grow back, and the immune system keeps killing them, but not before they have produced a measurable amount of insulin, detected from c-peptide measurements. So who will be the first to figure out how to stop the attack?
Interesting story......how does a mouse get diabetes? I am sitting here laughing about that as I wonder.....
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Lab mice are breed to have diabetes. There are several different lab mice breeds you can get that have the same genetic code. If a researcher wants to duplicate work, they just have to order up the same mouse. There are other animals that are breed for the same reasons.