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We are looking for information that will help us move forward and – as we believe – even closer to a functional solution to our common problems. If you find the answer to this question, we will be grateful if you write this information, including the source, in the comments below or send it to our email helpus@piqaso.com.
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Why do we ask this question?
In patients with type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. In a small, early study, a vaccine for type 1 diabetes helped preserve the body’s natural production of insulin, at least in a subset of newly diagnosed patients. In patients with type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that’s necessary for cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. These patients need lifelong insulin injections to stay alive. And because so many hidden factors inside the body can affect how much insulin a person needs, people who are insulin-dependent often have high and low blood sugar. High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, damages the organs over the long term, while low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can lead to seizures or death in the short term.
In the current study, the researchers wanted to test whether a vaccine might be able to stop or slow the destruction of these insulin-producing beta cells. “Studies have shown that even an extremely small production of insulin in the body is highly beneficial for patient health,” lead author Dr. Johnny Ludvigsson, a senior professor in the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at Linköping University in Sweden, said in a statement. “People with diabetes who produce a certain amount of insulin naturally do not develop low blood sugar levels, hypoglycemia, so easily.” Ludvigsson and his team developed a vaccine made from glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), a protein anchored to the surface of beta cells that many people with type 1 diabetes form antibodies against.
