What does a cure mean for you?

Voted yes as I do believe that a cure is not far away.

Certainly it would be good if we didn't have to work out the carb values of food and do the maths so they we can bolus accordingly, but the big difference it would make is not thinking about diabetes per se, no more testing, injecting, clinic appointments and blood tests would be a dream come true

I am often worrying about complications, despite that my diabetes control is quite good... so if my worries stop, I will be much happier person. Though the fingers from pricking heal quickly and injecting Insulin is not so painful so I do not worry about that much. Probably I got used to it through so many years, as I have been diabetic longer than non-diabetic. And, I will not have to feel that disgusting feeling when I am hypo, as it affects my mood drastically and other people often suffer because of that as well... So I believe that the end to all of that is coming

I'd like to vote 50/50. This type of breakthrough stops newly diagnosed T1 diabetics from progressing further and iff caught early enough, progressing from pre-T1 to T1. This falls into the prevention/reduction of damage type of breakthrough. I've seen little research that helps those of us with longer term diabetes to regrow or replace the beta cells though, and that's what; will end up being the critical item for us! Cure in our case means reverse, and that seems a lot further off.

I think no, but only because my definition of a cure is to stop the immune response, for type 1 anyway.....

I am very optimistic that very effective treatments will be devised that will be just as good as a cure and will last for years before further treatment is required......

I don't want my granddaughter to be saddled with this condition for the rest of her life, which could be 70, 80 90, or more years

The constant injections, sticking needles in ones body would be a so wonderful not to do ever again A cure one day, YES, in my lifetime? not so sure but it's on my wish list.

RRB

I'm looking forward to the gene therapy approach, whereby they can steal a few of your nose lining cells and regrow beta cells from them whilst simultaneously vaccinating against the T-lymphocytes.

The question is : can the follicular helper T cell be "turned off" WRT beta cells without turning off the other immune responses else you may stop the cell destruction but be left with no immune response to fight disease etc.

FergusCrawford said:

The question is : can the follicular helper T cell be "turned off" WRT beta cells without turning off the other immune responses else you may stop the cell destruction but be left with no immune response to fight disease etc.

Click to expand...

Or i sit possible to link it to the work that Guys and St Thomas' are doing relating to a diabetes vaccine and Pro-Insulin?

I voted yes. The recent lines of research I've got hopes for (and that are moving into human trials soon):

1. Turning insulin production genes on in muscle tissue. A Spanish team recently cured diabetes in dogs via this method.
2. Production of islet cells from stem cells.

I'd even consider a closed loop system as a cure. Anything that gives me good BGs, means that I don't have to manage my diabetes and means that I can live a normal life again, would be so liberating, that I'd consider it a cure.

I would love it if a proper cure could be developed during my lifetime. It would mean no more hypos as well as high sugars and the foreboding they bring. I rarely go out by myself away from where I live because feeling I feel insecure regarding bad hypos. I am very brittle and am very sensitive to insulin. ive had diabetes for along time now - 45 years, cures are often mentioned but dont appear to materialize but would be brilliant if a cure was achieved..

Having been type 1 for 42 years, since I was just a year old, I have seen many 'a cures coming' and been quite disappointed at all the hype new breakthroughs get reported on. I do really think though that with stem cell and the recent findings that a type 1 cure could be on the horizon. It might not be in my lifetime but I really hope it would be in my sons! He's had type 1 from 13 and is now 21. If a cure happened next week (unlikely) it would mean a great deal to me, especially knowing my son would be cured. I have suffered with seriously painful neuropathy and autonomic neuropathy and retinopathy-(now background} since 1997 but started showing in June 1995. 18 years of MST, phenytoin etc.. and trials of near enough every drug supposed to help nerve pain. I was signed off by my pain clinic as I had exhausted the treatments available with no success except for phenytoin and an elephants dose of MST to just make life bearable. A cure would be nice to have but what about the damage caused? It wasn't as though I had neglected my diabetes to rack n ruin, always doing what the Dr's wanted me to do. I have had an hba1c of 6.5 to 6.2 for the last several years but my Consultant wants it at 7 to 7.5 which I have achieved reluctantly. I guess I'm saying yes a cure would mean a lot to me and my son but what about the damage diabetes has caused if your unlucky like myself?