Origins of type 1 diabetes one step closer due to discovery

Doctors in America have made a breakthrough that takes us one step closer to identifying the origins of type 1 diabetes development. The discovery, made by the team at the Eastern Virginia Medical School’s Strelitz Diabetes Center, examined the role that enzyme 12-LO played in the development of type 1 diabetes .
The findings were published in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Inflammation is well known as playing a role in the destruction of beta cells that leads to type 1 diabetes . The enzyme examined is thought to produce lipids that cause inflammation. By deleting the gene, type 1 diabetes can be prevented in mice.
Dr. Chakrabarti reportedly commented: “That’s why these new findings are so important. The next step will be to develop a drug that targets 12-LO and combine that with cell regeneration.” Meanwhile, colleague Dr. Taylor-Fishwick commented: “We are currently working with investigators in California and the National Institutes of Health to identify ideal medications that would target 12-LO as a new treatment to halt immune damage to human insulin -producing cells.”