Has anyone heard any news regarding the reseach Denise Faustman is doing out of Bostan Mass? I understand human testing was to begin in January.
Hi Dan,I only read a little about her a good while back.How do you feel about her work if your follow it ? I might take a closer look at her and see what is new.......I was reading your bio. and would you tell me what continous finger pricking is about ? Thanks :)
Denise Faustman has cured type 1 diabetes in lab mice! She did it by killing harmful t-cells that apparently attack the islet cells and stop them from producing insulin. What amazed her is that after she did this the body somehow rejuvinated itself and started producing insulin again. She is hopeful that it will work similarly in humans! Last i read she was beginning human testing in January. I forget the name of the drug she uses but it is already approved by the fda for other uses and it is available very cheaply. I am so hopeful she is onto something. It is the best research I have ever heard with a potential cure for type 1.
My continuous finger pricking refers to 8 finger pricks a day testing my glucose. It is a cheaper version of cgm, I guess. Some of my finger tips are black and blue today. I guess I need to rotate sights better!
From what I remember, the drug she is testing is already approved for cancer (I think??)the drug blocks just one part of the immune response, the part that tells the body attack beta cells. In her tests once the body stopped attacking beta cells they came back. It appears they are always trying to come back, just attacked before they can. As a newbie (1 1/2 years) I still have high hopes!! LOL
i prefer to have a cure that doesn't involve immunosuppressants
[quote user="C"]
i prefer to have a cure that doesn't involve immunosuppressants
[/quote]
It isn't. The drugs affects the cells that say trigger it doesn't affect any other part of the immune system. It helps id what's good and bad in cancer it tells the body cancer cells not good and beta cells ok something like that.
Where in Boston is she out of? I live in the area and would love to learn more!
[quote user="Dan"]
Has anyone heard any news regarding the reseach Denise Faustman is doing out of Bostan Mass? I understand human testing was to begin in January.
[/quote]
Here is some parts of news release. In the animal studies, a commonly used vaccine that provides protection against tuberculosis, called Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) was used effectively to deplete the abnormal immune cells that attack and destroy the insulin producing cells of the pancreas.
The clinical trial is using the BCG vaccine for several reasons. BCG has been used safely for nearly 80 years as a tuberculosis vaccine. It is now being used in the human trial because it causes a low-grade inflammatory reaction, which in the mouse model of autoimmune diabetes lead to the destruction of the abnormal autoimmune cells.
For more info. www.faustmanlab.org It is a vaccine, imagine getting a shot and no more insulin. Crossing my fingers.
Denise Faustman is out of Mass General in Boston. Her website is faustmanlab.org.
Thanks for the updates. I hadn't checked her website in a long time. Bye everyone ... I'm off to get 37 TB vaccines. Talk to you later .......... lol.
New Udate just received!!!!
MGH Diabetes Clinical Trial to me
show details 1:13 PM (1 hour ago)
fromMGH Diabetes Clinical Trial
dateThu, Mar 25, 2010 at 1:13 PM
subjectUpdates to Faustman laboratory
mailed-bypartners.org
hide details 1:13 PM (1 hour ago)
MASSACHUSETTS
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Immunobiology Laboratory Denise Faustman, MD., Ph.D.
Massachusetts General Hospital East Director, Immunobiology Lab.
Building 149, Thirteenth Street, Room 3601 Associate Professor of Medicine
Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129 Harvard Medical School
Tel: 617-726-4084
Diabetestrial@partners.org
BCG Trial Updates
We are happy to bring you updates on our clinical trial program. We have good news to report today. We have concluded the enrollment into Phase I of the BCG trial, which represents a double-blinded placebo, controlled trial. We have also filed all safety reports to both the FDA and the Massachusetts General Hospital data safety monitoring boards; there were no severe reactions to the vaccine other than the expected inflammation at the injection sites. This safety report has now been filed with the government on their web site (clinicaltrials.gov).
This now allows us to start the planning and process of moving forward into Phase II testing. The goal of the Phase II study will be to identify the best dose and timing of administration for BCG.
We can begin working on Phase II as soon as we have secured the necessary funding. The funding will allow us to write and submit the proposed Phase II study design to the FDA and the MGH. When funding is secured, it will also be used to hire a regulatory team and start the processes that will allow us to have BCG manufactured in a form that can be used in the trials, as single dose vials. In our Summer/Fall 2009 Lab Newsletter (posted on the faustmanlab.org site under "News" then "Lab Newsletter), we detail these and other steps that we will take (see pages 3 and 4).
We are actively working to raise the funds needed for these next steps. Please continue to spread the word to others about these trials. What you hear so often is true--every dollar counts. Every day we wait to start these pivotal next steps is a day lost. As you know, donations can be made directly to this research through the faustmanlab.org site (under the "Support" tab), which links to the MGH donation site. We also provide updates on our research through this site and through our Faustman Lab fan page on Facebook.
Thank you all for your support!
As always, checks should be made to ‘MGH-Faustman lab” and can be mailed to:
Dr Denise Faustman
Attn: Lynne Murphy
MGH-East
Immunobiology Labs
Building 149, 13th Street, Rm 3602
Charlestown, MA 02129
Become a fan of Denise Faustman's research on Facebook at Faustman Labs!
I have an appt in April 2011 (I know, they're full through 2010!) to do the bloodwork. I'm so excited to see her lab!