Have we been left behind?

We're "treatable" and also "profitable" for the pharmas. It's in no one's interest but ours (and the NHS) to cure diabetes.

We went to an open meeting of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation a few weeks ago. It was very interesting, and very hopeful. There is loads of cutting edge research going on in Britain (and in the US, Asia and elsewhere) at the moment, dedicated to finding a cure for Type 1, so don't despair!

diabetesmum said:

There is loads of cutting edge research going on in Britain (and in the US, Asia and elsewhere) at the moment, dedicated to finding a cure for Type 1, so don't despair!

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I agree with DiabeticSkater's original point. I've seen a lot of research in recent years that is targeted at new medications, or making medication easier to deliver, or trying to reverse Type-1, but nothing on what causes it in the first place and how can we prevent it from happening. If anyone has seen research on this then please enlighten me. The pharmas make billions worldwide from the diabetes industry so it is in their interests to keep coming up with new treatments. It would be financial suicide to find a cure for it!

Not sure about the research etc as still trying to learn about this whole diabetes business however the thing I have found frustrating is that every type 1 book I have gone through seems purely aimed at children / youngsters. I appreciate that it is more common to fall foul of this when younger but it would have been nice to find something more aimed at dealing with type 1 as a grown up.

Hi all,

This is the most recent research article I've come across: alpha 1 anti-trypsin
Also, there's the current trials (started in early 2008) by Dr Denise Faustman.

"The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says
it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it."
-Elbert Hubbard

Regards,
timo.

lionrampant said:

We're "treatable" and also "profitable" for the pharmas. It's in no one's interest but ours (and the NHS) to cure diabetes.

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Abso-blydi-lutely! I have exactly the same feeling about HIV: the drugs are artificially expensive because they're (almost) all still under patent. Never mind the "side"-effects they cause, like diabetes... Sorry for coming over so angry - I'm getting hell from fungal dermatitis right now (HIV or diabetes - either could be the cause) and could pick a fight with a mirror!

Steve

Hi Timo,
Thanks for those links, but they just prove my point. They are both looking at treatment for people who already have Type-1, not something that would prevent it from happening. Although Dr Faustman's discovery that a BCG vaccination can reverse diabetes ought to mean that if we were to inject all children with BCG then they wouldn't become Type-1s. But we have been doing that anyway (until the innocolations were stopped this year) but the numbers of children presenting with Type-1 is still increasing year on year.

Dennis said:

I've seen a lot of research in recent years that is targeted at new medications, or making medication easier to deliver, or trying to reverse Type-1, but nothing on what causes it in the first place and how can we prevent it from happening.

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You are right, there isn't a lot of research being done on this. I suspect that this is for a number of reasons. Science (and most importantly science funding) is a human endeavor, and as such is subject to the foibles of fashion and politics like anything else. Treatments and potential "cures" are seen as far more glamorous (not to mention profitable) to drug companies and research councils alike than the prevention. Public health is always the poor cousin of treatment in any area of medial research - vastly more money is spent trying to find new treatments for cancer than in preventing it in the first place. Secondly, the causes and potential prevention of Type 1 diabetes is a really hard problem. The consensus is that it is an autoimmune disease (i.e. one where the body's immune system attacks a part of the body itself - in this case beta cells). Now, all autoimmune diseases are difficult, but diabetes is far more complex than most. Researchers interested in autoimmune diseases tend to work on simpler ones that offer better prospects for short term advancement. Researchers interested in diabetes tend to work on treatments or cures - because there is a general feeling that major breakthroughs are just around the corner. Working on possible preventions may be useful, but it is a much poorer career prospect for researchers than working towards new treatments.

Quite a good review on the causes of Type-1 diabetes is:

Todd, J.A. (1999). From genome to aetiology in a multifactorial disease, type 1 diabetes. BioEssays 21 165-174. Available online.

However, it is quite telling that this is nearly 10 years old, and I can't see much that has been published in this area since.

Dennis said:

Dr Faustman's discovery that a BCG vaccination can reverse diabetes ought to mean that if we were to inject all children with BCG then they wouldn't become Type-1s. But we have been doing that anyway (until the innocolations were stopped this year) but the numbers of children presenting with Type-1 is still increasing year on year.

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Hello Dennis,

Tuberculosis vaccinations use a one-off dose of BCG vaccine, whereas Dr Faustman's technique employs multiple doses. You might compare it with antibiotics, where just one dose is never expected to be enough to solve the problem. The BCG vaccine is used to selectively kill
memory T cells(via its effect on TNF-alpha production). A second agent(currently undisclosed) is used to target naive T cells. Used alone, neither compound results in permanent disease reversal. However, when used together, the body's autoimmune response is halted, allowing for islet regeneration. Happy days! 8)

Regards,
timo.

just in case you missed it.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2008/Jul/diabetes-trial-gives-positive-feedback.html