In a world first, Melbourne researchers have shown the vaccine can switch off the body's immune response to insulin in adults with the disease. This technique also could be used for other auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS).
"It shows that the nasal vaccine will ... suppress the bad immune response to insulin, which is very exciting," said Walter and Eliza Hall Institute's Professor Len Harrison. Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 150,000 Australians, is a condition where the body's immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Sufferers need daily insulin injections to help their bodies convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. The research, published in the journal Diabetes, provides proof that the vaccine could prevent the disease from developing in at-risk people.
Melbourne teenager, Tara Pritchard is taking part in a separate trial of the nasal spray because her father, Peter, has the chronic condition. Tests revealed she had the antibodies that made her susceptible to developing the disease. "I've always been told that it's likely that I will get diabetes, having this trial gives hope not only to me, but to others, that diabetes could be prevented," the 15-year-old said.
The illness usually emerges in young people, but diagnosis can happen at any age. Prof Harrison said diabetes cost the Australian health system about $600 million each year. "The cost of type 1 diabetes, in personal, social and public health terms is enormous," he said.
The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report shows type 1 diabetes has increased in young people by 41 per cent in the past decade. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and premature death.
Article by: Lucie van den Berg, Herald Sun (view full article)
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