JAX - Type 1 Diabetes News from The Jackson Laboratory

Experimental gene therapy reverses type 1 diabetes in mice

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 14:54:18 -0400

June 19, 2010/San Diego, CA (Endocrine Society) - Researchers have developed an experimental cure for Type 1 diabetes, a disease that affects about one in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents. They will present their results in a mouse model of Type 1 diabetes on Sunday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Using gene therapy, the team from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston tried to counter the two defects that cause Type 1 diabetes: autoimmune attack and destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells. They used nonobese diabetic mice, which spontaneously develop diabetes due to autoimmunity, just as humans do with Type 1 diabetes.

Artificial pancreas gets real

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 14:52:29 -0400

June 18, 2010/Boston, MA (BU Today) - When Edward Damiano’s 11-month-old son, David, developed type 1 diabetes in 2000, he had to check his baby’s blood sugar 15 times a day. Now, 10 years later, Damiano’s research has led to the development of a quicker system for regulating blood glucose levels in those with the disease.

The type 1 diabetic community - nearly two million in the United States - has long sought an automated, "closed-loop" system that regulates BG with minimal human intervention.

Now investigators at Boston University and Massachusetts General Hospital have conducted the first clinical trial of a closed-loop system prototype developed by Damiano, a College of Engineering associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Firas H. El-Khatib, a senior research associate. The system uses decision-making software to pump insulin and glucagon (a blood sugar-raising hormone) beneath the skin based on BG readings every five minutes. The team - the first to complete a human trial of a closed-loop system using both insulin and glucagon - describes the system’s performance in the April 14 edition of Science Translational Medicine.

Protein identified as "new player" in diabetes onset

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 14:50:39 -0400

June 1, 2010/La Jolla, CA (EurekAlert) - If you think of diabetes onset like an elaborate molecular drama, then a research team led by a La Jolla Institute scientist has unmasked a previously unknown cellular player, which is critical to proper insulin secretion. "Defective insulin secretion is a hallmark of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes," said Catherine Hedrick, Ph.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, who led the team, which included researchers from the University of Virginia.

Working in mouse models, the team discovered that the ABCG1 protein is essential for the beta cells of the pancreas to produce sufficient amounts of insulin. Insulin is needed by the body to convert glucose from food into energy. Problems with insulin production underlie both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. "Based on our studies in mice, we think that some diabetes patients may have reduced expression of ABCG1 which impairs their insulin secretion," said Dr. Hedrick, who has previously published findings showing that type 2 diabetics have lower levels of ABCG1 than non-diabetics.

Poison star and type 1 diabetic Bret Michaels wins Celebrity Apprentice

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 14:49:55 -0400

May 29, 2010/Diabetes Health - It was a great win for diabetes on Sunday night as Bret Michaels, lead singer for the rock band Poison and reality TV star, was crowned the latest Celebrity Apprentice winner after struggling with several medical scares in the past month. Just as impressive is that throughout the season, Michaels' various wins raised more than $390,000 for the American Diabetes Association, including the final challenge prize from Snapple, worth $250,000. The 47-year old Michaels has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was six years old.

Researchers use nanotechnology-based vaccine to "cure" T1D in mice

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 14:48:04 -0400

April 8, 2010/Calgary, AB (Univ. of Calgary Medicine) - Using a sophisticated nanotechnology-based "vaccine," researchers were able to successfully cure mice with type 1 diabetes and slow the onset of the disease in mice at risk for the disease. The study, conducted at the University of Calgary was published April 8 in the online edition of the scientific journal Immunity.

The study co-funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, provides new and important insights into understanding how to stop the immune attack that causes type 1 diabetes, and could even have implications for other autoimmune diseases.

Analysis identifies biomarkers for diabetic kidney failure

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:32:46 -0500

December 16, 2009/ScienceDaily - Researchers using a DNA analysis tool developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and UCLA have identified genetic markers that could help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics.

Study results, published in the December edition of Diabetic Medicine, show it is possible to identify biomarkers associated with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) from the pooled DNA of more than 1,000 diabetics. Specifically, TGen researchers identified genes that could potentially contribute to ESRD among those with Type 1 Diabetes.

Researchers identify gene critical to development of insulin-producing cells

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:21:35 -0500

February 11, 2010/New York, NY - In findings that add to the prospect of generating insulin-producing cells for replacing beta cell function in type 1 diabetes, researchers have identified a gene critical for the development of cells in the pancreas, including beta cells that produce insulin. The results of the study, co-funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, were published in the journal Nature.

Although it is still not fully known how the cells in the pancreas mature into functional beta cells, the study showed that the Rfx6 gene is an important part of this developmental process. They found that Rfx6 expression is dependent on another DNA binding factor (called neurogenin 3), which is responsible for one of the first steps in the differentiation of beta cells and other pancreatic cells during embryonic development. Mice lacking the neroogenin 3 gene also develop diabetes, highlighting the importance of both DNA binding factors in the how beta cells develop.

Research advances potential for regeneration as possible cure for type 1 diabetes

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:07:07 -0500

February 2, 2010/New York, NY (JDRF/Salk Institute) - A hormone responsible for the body's stress response is also linked to the growth of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, according to JDRF- funded researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. The findings are the latest advances to underscore the potential for regeneration as a key component of a possible cure for type 1 diabetes.

The research showed that the stress hormone CRF (corticotropin-releasing factor) could increase the rate at which insulin-producing cells in the pancreas expand in animal models. With this research, the team now reports that CRF has a direct effect on how insulin producing cells in the pancreas function and grow. These findings also reinforce the potential of regeneration as a cure for diabetes and provide insights for discovering new approaches to treat people with diabetes by restoring or regenerating their ability to produce insulin.

Treatment for diabetic eye disease up for regulatory review in Europe

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:52:29 -0500

December 10, 2009/New York, NY - A promising drug for diabetes-related eye disease has moved along the drug development pipeline considerably ahead of schedule in Europe.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals, based in Switzerland, announced that the drug Lucentis has been submitted to the European Union's regulatory agency, European Medicines Agency (EMEA), for approval for the treatment of diabetic macular edema. The submission is based on strong, positive results from Phase II clinical trials, including ones funded by JDRF. Macular Edema is a major complication of diabetes that often leads to vision loss and blindness.

According to JDRF, this is remarkable progress towards the approval of the first disease-modifying drug for a diabetes complication. Lucentis is currently approved in the United States and Europe for treating age-related macular degeneration.

FDA-approved drug may slow beta cell destruction in type 1 diabetes patients

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:34:57 -0500

December 4, 2009/Dallas, TX (Southwestern Medical Center) - New findings by UT Southwestern researchers suggest that a drug already used to treat autoimmune disorders might also help slow the destruction of insulin-producing cells in patients recently diagnosed with insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes.

Researchers at UT Southwestern and 14 other centers worldwide found that injections of the drug rituximab slowed beta cell destruction in the pancreas of those newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for at least a year, suggesting a potential treatment option that might improve management and reduce long-term complications of the disease.

"Our findings in no way suggest that rituximab should be used as a treatment or that it will eliminate the need for daily insulin injections," said Dr. Raskin, principal investigator of the trial’s local effort. "This is not a cure for type 1 diabetes.

"The results do, however, provide evidence that B cells play a significant role in type 1 diabetes and that selective suppression of these B cells may deter the destruction of the body’s beta cells."

JDRF forms partnership with Animas to develop first-generation automated system for managing type 1 diabetes

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:54:20 -0500

January 13, 2010/New York (PRNewswire) - The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation today announced an innovative partnership with Animas Corporation to develop an automated system to help people with type 1 diabetes better control their disease -- the first step on the path to what would be among the most revolutionary advancements in treating type 1 diabetes: the development of an artificial pancreas, a fully automated system to dispense insulin to patients based on real-time changes in blood sugar levels.

The objectives of the partnership, a major industry initiative within the JDRF Artificial Pancreas Project, are to develop an automated system to manage diabetes, conduct extensive clinical trials for safety and efficacy, and submit the product to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval.

"If successful, the development of this first-generation system would begin the process of automating how people with diabetes manage their blood sugar," said Alan Lewis, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of JDRF. "Ultimately, an artificial pancreas will deliver insulin as needed, minute-by-minute, throughout the day to maintain blood sugars within a target range. But even this early system could bring dramatic changes in the quality of life for the 3 million people in the U.S. with type 1 diabetes, beginning to free kids and adults from testing, calculating and treating themselves throughout the day."

Chicago Bears quarterback opens up about his diabetes

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:07:12 -0500

October 21, 2009/NY Times Blog (Well, Tara Parker Pope on Health) - When a child gets a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, many parents and children worry that school athletics will be one of the first things to go. Type 1 diabetes poses special challenges for athletes, because exercise can lead to precipitous, even deadly, drops in blood sugar.

But several athletes with Type 1 diabetes are showing just how much a person with the disease can do in the sports world. Earlier this year, a team of cyclists with Type 1 diabetes completed a coast-to-coast bike race in record time. A swimmer, Gary Hall Jr., has competed in three Olympic Games. Now a quarterback, Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears, is offering six online videos to share his experiences as a professional athlete with Type 1 diabetes.

Mr. Cutler was 24 when he learned he had Type 1 diabetes, which was diagnosed after a rapid 35-pound weight loss and severe fatigue originally attributed to stress. A team physical finally led to a diagnosis.

The videos document Mr. Cutler’s early reaction to his diagnosis and how he manages diabetes on a daily basis. One of the videos shows him pricking his finger and testing his blood sugar. Mr. Cutler also explains that he has changed his diet and misses many of his favorite sweets, but he still cheats from time to time. "Do I ever cheat? Yes, I do," he says. "A Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is my cheat food."

Immune cell entry into the pancreatic islets key to understanding type 1 diabetes origins

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:55:13 -0500

October 8, 2009/Memphis, TN (PRNewswire-USNewswire) - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have discovered how destructive immune cells gain access to insulin-producing cells and help cause diabetes.

The finding points to possible new strategies to halt or prevent type I diabetes.

Working in mice, researchers demonstrated that to enter key areas of the pancreas known as the islets of Langerhans, immune cells known as T cells must recognize a marker on the surface of insulin-producing cells housed there. T cells play a key role in regulating immune response. Once inside the islets, T cells trigger the inflammation that can lead to destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells. The result is type I diabetes.

The report answers a fundamental question about the role of T cell entry and accumulation in the islets in development of type I disease, a disease that affects as many as 3 million Americans. The research appears in the October 16 edition of the journal Immunity. Dario Vignali, Ph.D., is the paper's senior author and vice chair of the St. Jude Immunology department.

Sophisticated genetic engineering improves insulin-producing beta cells

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:01:18 -0500

October 8, 2009/Ottawa, ON (ScienceDaily) - One of the biggest mysteries about diabetes is why specialized cells in the pancreas stop secreting insulin, which the body needs in order to store glucose from food. A team from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute has identified a protein that inhibits insulin production in mice -- work that offers a new way of understanding, and perhaps of one day treating, both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

A study to be published in the journal Cell Metabolism describes how a research group led by Dr. Robert Screaton, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Apoptotic Signaling at the University of Ottawa, used sophisticated genetic engineering to remove or 'knock out' the Lkb1 gene from beta cells of laboratory mice. The result was an increase in both the size and number of beta cells, as well as greater amounts of insulin stored and released by the cells.

Importantly, the improved beta cell function lasted for at least five months, even in mice fed a high-fat diet designed to mimic the high caloric intake associated with Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 diabetes in humans.

Gene data tool advances prospects for personalized medicine, starting with type 1 diabetes

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:37:13 -0400

October 11, 2009/Philadelphia, PA (ScienceDaily) - A sophisticated computational algorithm, applied to a large set of gene markers, has achieved greater accuracy than conventional methods in assessing individual risk for type 1 diabetes.

A research team led by Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, suggests that their technique, applied to appropriate complex multigenic diseases, improves the prospects for personalizing medicine to an individual's genetic profile. The study appears in the October 9 issue of the online journal PLoS Genetics.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), in which automated genotyping tools scan the entire human genome seeking gene variants that contribute to disease risk, have yet to fulfill their potential in allowing physicians to accurately predict a person's individual risk for a disease, and thus guide prevention and treatment strategies.

By applying a "machine-learning" algorithm that finds interactions among data points, say the authors, they were able to identify a large ensemble of genes that interact together. After applying their algorithm to a GWAS dataset for type 1 diabetes, they generated a model and then validated that model in two independent datasets. The model was highly accurate in separating type 1 diabetes cases from control subjects, achieving AUC scores in the mid-80s.

World Diabetes Day set for Nov. 14th

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:06:49 -0400

September 30, 2009/International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) - World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community. While the themed campaigns last the whole year, the day itself is celebrated on November 14, to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1922.

World Diabetes Day is celebrated worldwide by the over 200 member associations of the International Diabetes Federation in more than 160 countries, all Member States of the United Nations, as well as by other associations and organizations, companies, healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes and their families.

Future of inhaled insulin delivery uncertain after failed commercial attempt

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:57:38 -0400

September 23, 2009/New Rochelle, NY (EurekAlert) - The commercial failure of Exubera® (Pfizer, New York, NY), the first inhaled insulin product to come to market, led other companies such as Eli Lilly-Alkermes to halt studies of similar drug delivery in development intended to compete for a share of the lucrative diabetes market. Does this signal defeat for efforts to deliver insulin via the lungs? The science and circumstances behind the Lilly-Alkermes decision to discontinue trials of the AIR® inhaled insulin product are explored in a special supplement to Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com). The supplement is available free online at http://www.liebertpub.com/dia

The supplement presents the data on AIR inhaled insulin that has been made available by Eli Lilly (Indianapolis, IN) and Alkermes (Cambridge, MA), co-developers of the drug. Eight articles describe various protocols in which the effectiveness and safety of AIR were compared to traditional insulin injections in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. These studies represent noninferiority trials, in which AIR was evaluated for its potential to be at least as safe and effective as subcutaneous (SC) insulin across a range of parameters.

Misinformed immune system may cause type 1 diabetes

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 10:23:10 -0400

September 3, 2009/Palo Alto, CA (Diabetes Health) - Researchers at Stanford University recently discovered that a mutated version of a gene may contribute to type 1 diabetes by sabotaging the functioning of the gene's normal version. Experiments conducted on mice with a diabetes-type disease showed that the mutated variant may prevent the healthy version from protecting the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas from attack by the immune system.

The gene, called Deaf1 (deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor 1), is a transcriptional regulator, which means that it controls the transfer of information necessary for certain functions to take place. Deaf1 is present in the body in two forms, a longer normal version and a shorter dysfunctional version. The long, normal version of Deaf1 produces molecules that protect cells from attack by the body's immune system. This is particularly relevant to those suffering from type 1 diabetes because the molecules produced by the longer version help protect the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas from that unfortunate fate.

Teflon - It's not just for cooking any more

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 10:27:40 -0400

September 1, 2009/Diabetes UK - Scientists have invented a tiny implant covered in Teflon coating that contains transplanted insulin-producing cells.

Teflon, the chemical used to coat non-stick pans, has been used in medicine for more than 30 years, as it is compatible with human tissue and does not cause the immune system to attack itself when implanted in the body.

Researchers from the University of California San Diego and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, also in California, took stem cells from human pancreases and encased them inside a Teflon-coated "pouch." The pouch is made of a fine membrane that allows insulin to escape, but does not allow attacking T-cells, that kill insulin-producing cells, to get in.

Virginia team receives $472l JDRF award to study potential block for type 1 diabetes development

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 09:59:45 -0400

September 1, 2009/Norfolk, VA (EurekAlert) - Scientists at Eastern Virginia Medical School's Strelitz Diabetes Center have been awarded a two-year grant totaling $472,683 by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

The center's research team, led by Jerry Nadler, MD, professor and chair of internal medicine and director of the center, has been studying the role of an enzyme called 12- Lipoxygenase (12-LO) in damaging insulin-producing beta cells, a condition that leads to Type 1 Diabetes. "We have successfully identified a vital step in the development of Type 1 diabetes and we are hopeful that blocking this enzyme could hold the key to engineering breakthrough new treatments," Dr. Nadler said.

12-LO is a protein-based enzyme in beta cells that produces lipids. These lipids are highly pro-inflammatory and can lead to the death of beta cells. EVMS researchers have demonstrated that deletion of the gene that produces 12-LO in animal models prevents the development of Type 1 Diabetes at a rate of nearly 100 percent.

Type 1 diabetes linked to immune response to wheat

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 14:15:32 -0400

August 23, 2009/Ottawa, CAN (ScienceBlog) - Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa have discovered what may be an important clue to the cause of type 1 diabetes. Dr. Fraser Scott and his team tested 42 people with type 1 diabetes and found that nearly half had an abnormal immune response to wheat proteins. The study is published in the August 2009 issue of the journal Diabetes.

Newly discovered Deaf1 gene may play role in diabetes, inform future drug development

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:56:44 -0400

August 10, 2009/Stanford University (EurekAlert) - Scientists at Stanford University have identified a gene that may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's insulin-producing cells. Insulin, a hormone produced by cells of the pancreas, helps the body to absorb sugars found in food and to maintain blood sugar at appropriate levels. The study team, led by C. Garrison Fathman, M.D., examined genes from mice that develop a type 1 diabetes-like disease. Dr. Fathman is a grantee of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, both components of the National Institutes of Health. Additional funding for the study was provided by the Special Statutory Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes Research, a special appropriation for research on the prevention and cure for type 1 diabetes.

The investigators found that cells in the pancreatic lymph nodes of mice make two forms of the same gene called deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor 1 (Deaf1). One form is full-length and functional and the other is a shorter, nonfunctional variant form. The full-length, functional form of Deaf1 controls the production of molecules needed to eliminate immune cells that can destroy insulin-producing cells. The presence of the Deaf1 variant was found to prevent the full-length Deaf1 protein from functioning normally. Further experiments showed that the variant form blocked the genes needed to produce certain molecules involved in immune regulation.

Scientists closer to finding a cure with Pax4 gene's help

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 15:49:40 -0400

August 6, 2009/New York, NY (EurekAlert) - In findings that add to the prospects of regenerating insulin-producing cells in people with type 1 diabetes, researchers in Europe -- co-funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation -- have shown that insulin-producing beta cells can be derived from non-insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

In results of a study published today in the journal Cell, the researchers, led by Patrick Collombat of the Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Germany and Ahmed Mansouri of the University of Göttingen in Germany, in collaboration with researchers at the JDRF Center for Beta Cell Therapy in Diabetes in Brussels, discovered in mice that new insulin-producing beta cells can be generated from alpha cells in the islets of the pancreas by modifying the expression of a specific gene (Pax4) in alpha cells. (Alpha cells generate the hormone glucagon in response to low blood sugar to restore normal blood sugar levels.) They also discovered that the alpha cells that give rise to new beta cells originate from progenitor cells in the pancreas. The newly formed beta cells result in better glucose control and prolonged survival of younger mice with diabetes.

JDRF launches online service to connect people with diabetes with clinical trial information

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:43:39 -0400

July 29, 2009/New York, NY (EurekAlert) - The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide and the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 research, announced today that it has launched an on-line service for people with type 1 diabetes and their families to easily find information about clinical trials for drugs, treatments, and therapeutics for diabetes and its complications. The on-line service, JDRF's Clinical Trials Connection, will enable people to search the database of trials of the National Institutes of Health (including JDRF-funded trials) that involve diabetes cures and treatments to get information, make comparisons, and - if they are interested - directly contact trial centers. It is available at www.trials.jdrf.org.

Through this web site, people can provide criteria like the type of trial they are interested in, how long they have had diabetes, and how far they'd be willing to travel, and the site will let them know about studies that match those characteristics. Clinical Trials Connection can help them search for trials, compare one trial with another, and update them on new trials that might match their interest. Plus, the service provides contact information for the researchers conducting the trial, so people interested in trials can contact them directly for more information, after discussing options with their healthcare provider.

Intensive glucose control early on reduces complications

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:54:39 -0400

July 28, 2009/ScienceDaily - Near-normal control of glucose beginning as soon as possible after diagnosis would greatly improve the long-term prognosis of type 1 diabetes, concludes a study published in the July 27, 2009, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, which updates information about the clinical course of type 1 diabetes.

The study also found that the outlook for people with longstanding type 1 diabetes has greatly improved in the past 20 years due to a better understanding of the importance of intensive glucose control as well as advances in insulin formulations, insulin delivery, glucose monitoring, and the treatment of cardiovascular risk factors.

Discovery of genetic switch advances diabetes research

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:22:59 -0400

July 15, 2009/Newswise - Scientists have identified a master regulator gene for early embryonic development of the pancreas and other organs, putting researchers closer to coaxing stem cells into pancreatic cells as a possible cure for type1 diabetes. Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center reported their findings in the July 21 Developmental Cell.

Besides having important implications in diabetes research, the study offers new insights into congenital birth defects involving the pancreas and biliary system by concluding both organs share a common cellular ancestry in the early mouse embryo.

This discovery reverses a long standing belief that the biliary system’s origin is connected to early embryonic formation of the liver, the researchers said. The pancreas regulates digestion and blood sugar, and the biliary system is vital for digestion. If the organs do not form properly during fetal development, it can be fatal.

The finding advances ongoing research by Dr. Wells and his team to guide embryonic stem cells to become pancreatic beta cells, which scientists believe could be used to treat or cure type1 diabetes. The disease occurs when the immune system attacks insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas, usually destroying them beyond repair before the illness is diagnosed.

New rules expand Federal funding of stem cell research

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 13:18:19 -0400

July 7. 2009/Time Magazine - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued official guidelines on Monday governing the federal funding of human embryonic-stem-cell research, four months after President Obama signed an executive order overturning the longstanding federal ban.

The Obama Administration has significantly expanded the number of stem-cell lines that may now be eligible for study using federal funds. Since 2001, under a Bush Administration ban, no new stem-cell lines could be created or studied using government dollars (though financing was allowed for research on a few dozen or so stem-cell lines that were already in existence), but some estimates suggest that since Bush's policy was implemented, as many as 700 new human embryonic-stem-cell lines have been created through private funding, mostly using embryos discarded by IVF clinics — and many of those lines may now qualify for public funding.

UT research study says interferon alpha can delay full onset of type 1 diabetes

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 12:30:35 -0400

A low dose of oral interferon alpha shows promise in preserving beta cell function for patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes, according to researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

The results of the Phase II trial are published today in Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association.

"It shows a strong trend in preserving insulin-producing beta cell function that is significantly better than placebo," said Staley Brod, M.D., principal investigator of the trial, which includes the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). "It can extend the 'honeymoon phase' of the disease, allowing the body to still produce insulin from beta cells, which correlates with decreased complication rates."

Blood pressure drugs slow eye problems in diabetes

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 12:54:00 -0400

July 1, 2009/Reuters - Two Merck blood pressure drugs given to diabetics to prevent worsening kidney problems do not work in that way but may prevent diabetes-related eye problems, researchers reported on Wednesday.

The Vasotec brand of enalapril and the Cozaar brand of losartan slowed progression of diabetic eye damage in more than 65 percent of patients, the researchers found in a study partially funded by Merck.

Kidney disease known as diabetic neuropathy causes at least 45 percent of kidney failures in the United States. Diabetes is also the main cause of acquired blindness in adults.

Experimental vaccine seeks to head off type 1 diabetes

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:15:17 -0400

June 29, 2009/Pittsburgh, PA (AP) - The doctor had barely pulled away the needle when a blister appeared on Tracey Berg-Fulton's abdomen: An experimental shot was revving up the 24-year-old's immune system - part of a bold quest to create a vaccine-like therapy for diabetes.

"If we're right, that is what's going to stop Type 1 diabetes," said Dr. David Finegold as he watched the blisters appear - one to match each of four shots - with intense satisfaction.

It's a big "if." The research is in its infancy, a first-step experiment to be sure the vaccine approach is safe before researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh test their real target - kids newly diagnosed with this deadliest form of diabetes.

Possible link between insulin glargine and cancer prompts urgent call for more research

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:32:46 -0400

June 26, 2009/University of Bristol (U.K.) - The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) today makes an urgent call for more research into a possible link between use of insulin glargine (an insulin analogue) and increased risk of cancer, following evidence from studies in Germany, Sweden and Scotland. However, until this further research becomes available, these experts are stressing that patients with diabetes taking Lantus should continue to do so, although some might wish to consider alternative types of insulin. The studies are reported in Diabetologia (the journal of EASD), edited by Professor Edwin Gale of the University of Bristol.

Transplants help type 1 diabetics skip insulin

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:39:55 -0400

June 22, 2009/Vancouver Sun (Reuters) - People with type 1 diabetes who got stem cell transplants were able to go as long as four years without needing insulin treatments, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

They said the process, which involves injecting people with stem cells made from their bone marrow cells, appears to have a lasting effect.

150 Children and teenagers with T1D descend on Washington to advocate for research funding

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:12:41 -0400

June 23, 2009/PRNewswire-USNewswire (Washington, D.C.) -- More than 150 children and teenagers throughout the U.S. with type 1 diabetes are in Washington, D.C. this week to advocate for funding for type 1 diabetes research. They'll be joined by JDRF International Chairman Mary Tyler Moore, Nick Jonas of the Grammy nominated multi platinum group The Jonas Brothers, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, and other advocates at the sixth Children's Congress of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Children's Congress, the largest grassroots advocacy event held in support of research for type 1 diabetes, will include a visit with President Barack Obama at the White House, a Town Hall panel of athletes and celebrities impacted by diabetes, and a hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to request federal funding for diabetes research and remind Congress about the urgent need for a cure for the disease.

Stem cells put to test as treatment for diabetes

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:28:40 -0400

June 14, 2009/The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) - Sarah Piscitelli had barely gotten used to the idea she had an incurable disease - diabetes - before she was sitting in a Norfolk clinic having an experimental solution infused into her vein. Was the liquid - in an opaque IV bag so she couldn't see it - a potent mixture of stem cells or a powerless placebo? She won't find out for two years, but what she does know is she's part of a clinical trial that has the potential to change lives.

The 23-year-old Virginia Beach woman was older than the norm when she was diagnosed in February with Type 1 diabetes, the less common variety usually diagnosed in childhood. The timing of Piscitelli's diagnosis placed her in a position to enroll in a national clinical trial to see whether infusions of stem cells can kick-start her body's ability to make insulin. She's one of 60 people across the country who will test the idea. If successful, it could eventually change the lives of people in the early stages of the disease.

Researchers find five genetic biomarkers to help fight diabetes

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:39:34 -0400

June 15, 2009/Science Daily (Phoenix) - Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) scientists have identified five genetic biomarkers that could help lead to improved treatments, with fewer side-effects, for patients with diabetes.

TGen Senior Investigator Dr. Johanna DiStefano presented the findings in New Orleans on June 6, 2009, at the 69th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

"We identified genetic variants that may predict how well someone will respond to the common anti-diabetes drug, Actos," said Dr. DiStefano, Director of TGen’s Diabetes, Cardiovascular & Metabolic Diseases Division. "The implications of these findings include determining which patients will best respond to the drug for the prevention or treatment of diabetes. In addition, this work lays the foundation for personalized medicine for patients with this disease."

Personalized medicine involves the rapid application of laboratory discoveries to therapies, depending on the individual genetic make-up of each patient.

Cutting-edge medicine brings hope with caveats

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:23:19 -0400

June 12, 2009/Chicago Public Radio - The immune system is what protects us from getting sick. But sometimes it gets its wires crossed, and causes devastating diseases like lupus, multiple sclerosis and type-1 diabetes. If only the immune system had a reset button. Well, a scientist in Chicago thinks he’s found it, in a novel transplant using adult stem cells. But some say there’s a fine line between innovative and reckless, and this new procedure may be moving too fast.

The idea is pretty simple - clever, even. And it came to Doctor Richard Burt about 20 years ago, when he was working with transplant patients.

In people with auto-immune disease, their immune defenses have turned on them. Burt thought by destroying and rebuilding the immune system, he could bring the body back to its senses.

Genes play a role in glycemic control in people with type 1 diabetes

Sat, 6 Jun 2009 16:49:17 -0400

June 6, 2009/New Orleans, LA - Researchers have proven that glycemic control in type 1 diabetes is not fully dependent on the individual's behavior, but is in part subject to genetic influence, according to a presentation...at the American Diabetes Association's 69th Scientific Sessions.

"We identified four genes related to glycemic control in type 1 diabetes," said Andrew D. Paterson, MBChB, Senior Scientist in the Program for Genetics and Genome Biology, Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and lead author of the study. "Two of these genes also affect risk for complications -- kidney, eye, and cardiovascular disease -- and one gene has a strong effect on the rate of hypoglycemia."

"This finding does not give people with diabetes the freedom to slack off on their careful nutrition, exercise, and medication regimens because behavior clearly plays the major role in glycemic control," cautioned Dr. Paterson. "Eventually, the genetic variations we found may be used to identify individuals at risk for poor glycemic control and for diabetic complications, so that steps could be taken to intensify control or implement other measures. But in the interim, this knowledge may influence the design and analysis of genetic studies attempting to identify risk factors for long-term diabetic complications and lead us in new research directions to better understand the mechanisms of glycemic control."

A new lead for autoimmune diseases (like type 1 diabetes)

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 16:45:17 -0400

June 5, 2009/Boston - A drug derived from the hydrangea root, used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, shows promise in treating autoimmune disorders, report researchers from the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the Immune Disease Institute at Children's Hospital Boston (PCMM/IDI), along with the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

In the June 5 edition of Science, they show that a small-molecule compound known as halofuginone inhibits the development of Th17 cells, immune cells recently recognized as important players in autoimmune disease, without altering other kinds of T cells involved in normal immune function. They further demonstrate that halofuginone reduces disease pathology in a mouse model of autoimmunity.

Newly discovered gene is closely associated with diabetes development in East Asians

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 16:39:32 -0400

June 4, 2009/Riken (Japan) - According to a survey of diabetes by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in 2006, the prevalence of diabetes in Japan is estimated at 8.20 million patients, and 10.50 million people are likely to suffer from the disease in the future. Hence, a quarter of Japanese people aged 40 or older are reportedly affected, either currently or potentially, by diabetes. This ratio is increasing rapidly with the aging of the general population; the latest survey results have shown that the ratio is approaching one-third. Focusing on world trends, the prevalence is increasing dramatically: it is estimated that the number of patients with diabetes will be 380 million in 2025, a 1.6-fold increase compared with the 2005 level of 230 million. To conquer diabetes is one of mankind’s great challenges.

"Although many studies have been conducted for more than 20 years all over the world in search of genes related to susceptibility to diabetes, most of them can be said to have failed. In the last two years, however, the situation has changed dramatically," says Shiro Maeda, Laboratory Head in the Laboratory for Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Center for Genomic Medicine of the RIKEN Yokohama Institute. This year Maeda and his colleagues discovered a gene that is closely associated with the development of diabetes in East Asians, including Japanese. Now research is progressing rapidly with the aim of conquering diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes may double in young kids by 2015

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 15:05:28 -0400

May 27, 2009/WebMD Health News - The incidence of type 1 diabetes among very young children will double from 2005 levels in a little over a decade if present trends continue, a new study shows.

The prediction is based on type 1 diabetes trends in Europe, but experts say there is every reason to believe that the U.S. will see a similar dramatic increase in the disease. They are also convinced that environmental exposures are driving the increase, but it is far from clear what those exposures are.

Once known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes is much less common than type 2 diabetes, except among children and adolescents. The most common age of diagnosis has been the early teen years, but epidemiologist Christopher C. Patterson, PhD, of Ireland's Queen's University, says that the burden may be shifting toward younger children.

"We are likely to see more children with severe diabetes complications presenting at earlier ages if we fail to recognize and adequately treat disease in very young patients," he says.

Supreme Court nominee's diabetes puts disease in the spotlight

Thu, 28 May 2009 16:19:43 -0400

May 26, 2009/New York Times - The choice of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court has put a spotlight on Type 1 diabetes, the disease she has lived with for more than 45 years.

The illness, which causes abnormally high levels of blood sugar, should not interfere with Judge Sotomayor’s ability to do her job, according to the American Diabetes Association.

The White House made the same point Tuesday, saying Judge Sotomayor’s diabetes had been under control for decades through insulin injections and careful monitoring.

New type 1 diabetes genes found

Thu, 14 May 2009 10:10:02 -0400

May 11, 2009/Western Australia Institute for Medical Research - One of the largest diabetes studies ever completed has revealed 25 new genes that suggest a patient is at risk of the disease.

In one of the world’s largest genetic studies and biggest breakthroughs towards understanding type 1 diabetes, an international group of scientists has identified more than 40 genes, including 25 totally new discoveries, as risk factors for the disease. The research was published in Nature Genetics online 11 May 2009 and will feature in the June edition of the prestigious journal.

"We’ve been able to pinpoint over 40 genes that increase the risk for type 1 diabetes including many new genes, so this is one of the most significant discoveries to date in understanding this disease," Professor Grant Morahan said.

"Where this discovery has much potential is that it could show us how to stop the disease returning by controlling how the risk genes work.

Pancreatic islet transplant gives diabetics new hope

Fri, 8 May 2009 09:56:28 -0400

May 6, 2009/LaCombe Globe (CA) - A relatively new protocol developed by researchers at the University of Alberta harvests islets from the pancreas of a deceased organ donor. The islets are purified, processed and transferred into the recipient. Once implanted, the beta cells in these islets begin to make and release insulin. The hope is that islet transplantation will help people with type 1 diabetes live without daily injections of insulin.

Clinical trials study family histories, characteristics to detect risk for developing type 1 diabetes in 1st degree relatives

Tue, 5 May 2009 12:54:16 -0400

May 4, 2009/Media-Newswire (Yale University) - Evidence suggests that having a close relative with type 1 diabetes puts individuals at greater risk of developing the disease, but one Yale researcher is investigating whether it's possible to prevent a genetic disposition from turning into a full-blown case of the disease.

Dr. Kevan Herold, professor of immunobiology and internal medicine ( endocrinology ) at the School of Medicine, is participating in government-funded clinical research to study family histories and characteristics of those at risk for developing type 1 diabetes to determine whether early identification can help prevent the disease or limit its impact.

"The rate of diabetes in first-degree relatives can be as high as 90%," says Herold, who is also involved in another study to determine whether oral insulin can delay or prevent the onset of the disease in relatives. "The disease starts years before it clinically presents."

Detecting diabetes without a needle: The spit factor

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:47:39 -0400

April 28, 2009/Newswise - Research promoting a painless new method for detecting diabetes, utilizing saliva, will be revealed Friday, May 15, at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 18th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress in Houston, Texas.

While searching for biomarkers that may indicate diabetes, doctors examined the saliva of 40 different patients. Through salivary analysis, they managed to devise a new "non-invasive" method for detecting diabetes that foregoes the uncomfortable prick of a needle- patients need only to spit into a cup. The spit test could be performed for little cost in a doctor’s office or at a patient’s home.

Potential preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:14:07 -0400

April 29, 2009/Insciences.org - Scientists believe they may have found a preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes, by making the body's killer immune cells tolerate the insulin-producing cells they would normally attack and destroy, prior to disease onset.

PhD student Eliana Mariño and Dr Shane Grey, from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, have demonstrated how a particular molecule may be used in future as a preventative therapy. Their findings are published online in the international journal Diabetes.

JDRF Paves the way for development of artificial pancreas

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:25:24 -0400

April 16, 2009/JDRF.org - The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has taken the lead in accelerating the development of an artificial pancreas -- a system that can revolutionize diabetes care and dramatically improve the lives of people with type 1 diabetes.

An artificial pancreas will integrate two currently available technologies -- continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps -- with an algorithm that provides the right amount of insulin at the right time. It will enable people with diabetes to achieve tight blood glucose control avoiding both highs and dangerous lows, thereby significantly reducing the risk of the disease's devastating complications. It will also help advance JDRF's replacement and regeneration cure therapeutic strategies, where treatment success will be greatly aided by the ability to keep blood sugar tightly controlled.

Stem Cells Crucial to Diabetes Cure in Mice

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:12:48 -0400

March 16, 2009/Diabetes Life News - More than five years ago, Dr. Lawrence C.B. Chan and colleagues in his Baylor College of Medicine laboratory cured mice with type 1 diabetes by using a gene to induce liver cells to make insulin.

"Now we know how it works," said Chan, director of the federally designed Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center at BCM and chief of the division of endocrinology in BCM's department of medicine. "The answer is adult stem cells."