New diabetes vaccine fails at second stage trials

It has been reported that a new vaccine being developed for treating type 1 diabetes has failed at the second stage of its three-phase trial. The vaccine, which is aimed at protecting the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas from the immune system, is based on an enzyme that the immune system targets, resulting in beta cells being destroyed.
The study, on 145 type 1 diabetes patients aged between three and 45 years in the United States and Canada and which was published in The Lancet, investigated the enzymen, called glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), and how the vaccine could help the T cells of the immune system tolerate the enzyme.
The patients had been diagnosed with their diabetes in the previous three months and were spit into three groups, with one set getting the vaccine, another getting the vaccine as well as a standard immune-system booster, and the third group just receiving the booster. However, all patients experienced a similar progression in the disease, and there was no difference found in terms of side effects.
It is known that type 1 diabetes affects between 5 and 10 per cent of people who suffer from diabetes, with adults with the condition having to take insulin shots every day for the rest of their lives, as well as keeping to dietary guidelines and exercise.