Treatment blocks Type I diabetes in mice

There's been some exciting news on the research front: a possible key to blocking Type I diabetes has been found.

Here's a quick take (click the link above for a fuller release and a link to the actual research report)

From the JDRF:

JDRF-funded researchers have identified a protein on immune T cells that triggers type 1 diabetes in mice when it interacts with another protein found in cells of the pancreas. The scientists report that blocking the interaction prevents the disease without compromising normal immune defenses or causing measurable side effects.

The finding points to a possible strategy for preventing type 1 diabetes in humans, since the mouse T cell protein has a counterpart in the human immune system.

When the scientists used antibodies to prevent the protein of interest from binding its receptor, the mice were completely protected from the disease. (The effect is like plugging a keyhole so that even the correct key won’t turn the ignition). “You don’t need a calculator to tell the treatment group from the placebo group. It’s 100 percent effective,” said Lewis Lanier, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in a press statement.

The researchers expect that a “humanized” antibody, working in a similar manner, could provide an effective type 1 diabetes treatment in people. The finding is important, because unlike other treatments reported in mice, this therapy was effective even when given relatively late in disease progression.