Is There Any Truth or Promise to This?
Question by Bozz Mozz: Is there any truth or promise to this?
On the news there was a broadcast where a certain cancer treatment has been successful in putting type 1 in remission. I didn’t see the broadcast myself, so I don’t know much about it. Does anyone have more information on this?
It was definitely type 1 DM
Best answer:
Answer by Mr. Peachy®
Are you sure it wasn’t a tuberculosis treatment that Denise Faustman used to cure type 1 in mice?:
http://www.massgeneral.org/diabetes/faculty_faustman.htm
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2005/06/01/4400.html
http://www.faustmanlab.org/research.html
Or, maybe this: http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idINN1752617220081117?rpc=44
Answer by Holly
I heard that as well. Apparantly if it hasn’t been too long since the diagnosis then a type of chemotherapy can put it in remission. They stress the CAN though. Doesn’t work all the time just like it doesn’t always work with cancer. I was only diagnosed last week so I’m eligible for it. At the moment, doctors are only willing to try it on people who are within the first three months of diagnosis. I think it sort of “turns off” the immune system as that’s what causes type 1. I don’t think it actually turns it off or we’d be susceptable to all kinds of illnesses.
Here is the government website that has lots of information about it on:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00279305?spons=%22National+Institute+of+Diabetes+and+Digestive+and+Kidney+Diseases+(NIDDK)%22&spons_ex=Y&rank=32
Mozz!! I saw this on the news yesterday and started to cry! It is easier to find if you GOOGLE type 1 diabetes and cancer drugs. This news came out yesterday that in MICE they have been able to “delay” the onset of T1DM and in 80% of the cases they were able to put t1dm into “remission” I’m not a scientist, so it’s hard for me to describe this so it’s better for you to read it. The good part is, the drugs they are using are ALREADY approved! It has to do with supressing the immune system but like I said, just google it. Mozzie….I am so hopeful that this will be IT for our children!!! What we’ve been waiting for since “that day.”
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Without these beta cells, the body cannot maintain proper blood glucose levels in response to daily activities such as eating or exercise. With fewer insulin producing cells blood glucose increases, causing hunger, thirst, and unexplained weight loss. By the time these symptoms develop, 80-90% of a person’s beta cells have already been destroyed. However, this also means that between 10-20% of these cells remain that continue to produce insulin.
Scientists have learned that two types of immune cells, B cells and T cells, are involved in causing type 1 diabetes. T cells are responsible for attacking and destroying the beta cells that make insulin. Although they don’t attack insulin producing cells, B cells may be what trigger the T cells to attack.
This study will investigate the use of rituximab to see if it can help lower the number of immune B cells thereby preventing the destruction of any remaining insulin producing beta cells that remain at diagnosis. Rituximab is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of a condition called B-lymphocyte lymphoma. Its effects on the immune system are well understood through its use in organ transplantation. Research has shown that rituximab might be helpful in treating other conditions caused by T cells and B cells, including type 1 diabetes. The goal of this study is to find out if rituximab can preserve residual insulin secretion and prevent further beta cell destruction in type 1 diabetes.
Eligibility
Ages Eligible for Study: 12 Years to 45 Years
Genders Eligible for Study: Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
•Between the ages of 12 and 45 years
•Within 3 months of diagnosis of type 1 diabetes
•Have presence of at least one diabetes-related autoantibody
•Must have stimulated C-peptide levels of at least 0.2 pmol/ml measured during a mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT) within one month of randomization
•If female with reproductive potential, willing to avoid pregnancy and undergo pregnancy testing while participating in the study
•Have not received an immunization for at least one month
•Must be willing to comply with intensive diabetes management
•Must weigh at least 25 kg at study entry
Exclusion Criteria:
•Are immunodeficient or have clinically significant chronic lymphopenia
•Have an active infection or positive purified protein derivative (PPD) test result
•Currently pregnant or lactating; or anticipate becoming pregnant.
•Require chronic use of steroids
•Have current or past HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C infection
•Have any complicating medical issues that interfere with study conduct or cause increased risk
•Have a history of malignancies
•Currently using non-insulin pharmaceuticals that effect glycemic control
•Currently participating in another type 1 diabetes treatment study
Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00279305
Locations
United States, California
Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States, 90027
Stanford University
Stanford, California, United States, 94305
University of California-San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States, 94143
United States, Colorado
Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes
Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80010
United States, Florida
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32610-0296
University of Miami
Miami, Florida, United States, 33136
United States, Indiana
Indiana University-Riley Hospital for Children
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
United States, Massachusetts
Joslin
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
United States, Minnesota
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
United States, New York
Columbia University
New York, New York, United States, 10032
Columbia University
New York, New York, United States, 10032
United States, Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
United States, Texas
University of Texas
Dallas, Texas, United States, 75235-8858
United States, Washington
Benaroya Research Institute
Seattle, Washington, United States, 98101
Australia
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Victoria, Australia
Canada, Ontario
The Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X8
Italy
San Raffaele Hospital
Milan, Italy
That is the best I can do….
Is this about the use of Stem Cells?
There has been some recent success in curing diabetes in MICE using Adult Stem Cells (stem cells NOT taken from dead fetuses).
it is still a LONG way from mice to men. Much experimental work has to be done, AND government approval need to be obtained — that means several years of clinical studies.
IF this work produces results, it will likely be 15-20 years away.