The therapy precisely regulates blood sugar in mice. “If a Type 1 diabetic has been living with these cells for 30, 40 or 50 years, and all we’re getting them to do is secrete insulin, we expect there to be no adverse immune response,” Dr. Unlike beta cells, which the body rejects in Type 1 diabetes, the other cell populations of the pancreas co-exist with the body’s immune defenses. It is proven in treating rare childhood diseases, and Good Manufacturing Processes ensure safety. Food & Drug Administration to treat various diseases, Dr. Gene transfer using a viral vector has been approved nearly 50 times by the U.S. These genes become incorporated and cause digestive enzymes and other cell types to make insulin. A virus is used as a vector, or carrier, to introduce selected genes into the pancreas. The therapy is accomplished by a technique called gene transfer. At the same time in Type 2, the body doesn’t use insulin efficiently. In Type 2 diabetes, beta cells fail and insulin decreases. In Type 1 diabetes, beta cells are destroyed by the immune system and the person has no insulin. Insulin, which lowers blood sugar, is only made by beta cells. “This is basically just like beta cells.” “The pancreas has many other cell types besides beta cells, and our approach is to alter these cells so that they start to secrete insulin, but only in response to glucose ,” he said. Ralph DeFronzo, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Diabetes at UT Health, is co-inventor on the patent. We want to bring this to large animals that are closer to humans in physiology of the endocrine system.” But it’s a mouse model, so caution is needed. “We cured mice for one year without any side effects. Doiron, assistant professor of medicine at UT Health, said. patent in January, and UT Health San Antonio is spinning out a company to begin commercialization. Food and Drug Administration for Investigational New Drug (IND) approval, Bruno Doiron, Ph.D., a co-inventor, said. Those studies will precede application to the U.S. UT Health San Antonio researchers have a goal to reach human clinical trials in three years, but to do so they must first test the strategy in large-animal studies, which will cost an estimated $5 million. The discovery, made at UT Health San Antonio, increases the types of pancreatic cells that secrete insulin. A potential cure for Type 1 diabetes looms on the horizon in San Antonio, and the novel approach would also allow Type 2 diabetics to stop insulin shots.
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