An Immunotherapy Trial For Type 1 Diabetes

A pancreatic islet containing insulin producing cells

A new immunotherapy approach could stall the autoimmune attack responsible for Type 1 diabetes

Accounting for around 5-10% of all diabetes cases, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body progressively destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas – wrecking the individual’s ability to regulate their blood sugar levels. Preventing this deadly attack is therefore a key strategy in treating the condition. 

A new approach

A new immunotherapy treatment called MultiPepT1De is to be used in the latest trial, and uses an infusion of small peptide molecules to turn off the harmful immune response. The treatment will be trialed on 24 people this year, and joins a collection of peptide immunotherapy trials targeting autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis. 

 “Type 1 diabetes is a very serious condition that normally requires lifelong treatment with insulin therapy. By retraining the immune system to prevent it from attacking insulin-producing cells, it may be possible to slow progression of the disease or even stop it in its tracks. What we are doing is a big step forward in precision medicine, taking a set of patients with a particular disease and genetic background and giving them an immunotherapy designed in the laboratory specifically for them”

Read more at MedicalXpress