JDRF - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

A JDRF-funded clinical trial by researchers in America and China has used stem cells from umbilical cord blood to ‘re-educate’ the immune cells that cause type 1 diabetes.

By targeting the autoimmune response that attacks beta cells in type 1 diabetes, researchers aimed to improve beta cell function in people with the disease and enable them to resume insulin production.

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JDRF-funded Australian researchers have identified a simple cellular compound that may be able to prevent onset of type 1 diabetes by preventing or reducing the death of insulin-producing cells.

Researchers from the Australian National University have identified heparan sulfate (HS) as being essential for beta cell survival. Whilst this compound is known to be involved in a number of other biological activities, this is the first time it has been implicated in the development of type 1 diabetes.

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The JDRF-funded Type 1 Diabetes Prevention Trial is a groundbreaking medical trial that aims to determine if the risk of getting type 1 diabetes can be eliminated by a nasal insulin vaccine. The trial is now into its fifth year and has screened over six thousand people in Australia and New Zealand to assess eligibility, with 58 eligible people now participating in the trial.

The trial is looking for more volunteers to reach their goal of 12,000! To participate in the initial screening test, you will need to be aged between 4 – 30 years with a relative with type 1 diabetes. This first step will be a free blood test for antibodies that may indicate a future risk of getting type 1 diabetes.

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Real life use of an artificial pancreas

For the first time ever in parallel experiments in both France and Italy, two participants with type 1 diabetes were able to control their diabetes using an artificial pancreas system in a real-life setting. Participants spent a night at a hotel and eating at a restaurant while using the device, and attained near-normal glucose levels. The research team used approved insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors, which were controlled by a hand-held device and monitored by the investigators to ensure safety.

These were the first outpatient trials using an approach developed by the JDRF-supported International Artificial Pancreas Study Group, an international research group. Previous trials have all been conducted in an in-patient setting. Eight more patients enrolled in the trial will begin outpatient testing in coming weeks.

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A Western Australian study has found that rates of severe hypoglycaemia declined dramatically in the past decade.

The study out of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth, found that rates of severe hypoglycaemia in children with Type 1 diabetes declined two thirds between 2000 and 2009.

The study also showed that glycaemic control stayed the same in that time, with the link between glycaemia and risk of hypos growing weaker. There was also no longer an increased risk of severe hypoglycaemia in children under six years old.

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The international arm of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has partnered with US company InnoCentive to launch an USD$100,000 ‘Challenge’ for new ideas that may lead to the formulation of a drug that would remove or reduce the need for injections for people with type 1 diabetes.

InnoCentive finds new ways to solve technological and scientific problems using crowdsourcing and open innovation. The idea is to use the web to build connections between R&D problems or ‘Challenges’ and ‘Solvers’, who are creative people that might work or study in different industries or fields, or perhaps in other countries.

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A study on Aussie teenagers found that parents reported improved behaviour after two years on insulin pumps. The study suggested that the reported improvements in mood and behaviour could be connected to the ‘improved quality of life’ that follows the switch to insulin pump therapy. 

The study looked at 27 teens and their parents, and analyzed their internalizing behaviours, or anxiety and depression, as well as externalizing behaviours, which relate to conduct problems and hyperactivity.

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A summary of three highlights of research progress from around the world:

1. Joslin 50-year Medallist study uncovers protective factors against diabetes complications
2. Clinical trials of an overnight artificial pancreas system improve glycemic control
3. Transplantation of encapsulated stem cells reduces glucose levels in diabetic mice

Joslin 50-year Medallist study uncovers protective factors against diabetes complications

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JDRF is sending a message of support to all the researchers, patients, medical research institutes who will rally today around Australia in support of medical research.

The rallies come as the government has suggested there will be funding cuts to the National Health and Medical Research Council in the next federal budget. The rumoured cuts are causing much concern – not just amongst those whose livelihood depends on medical research but all those whose lives depend on it.

JDRF CEO Mike Wilson said that ongoing support for research careers and infrastructure is vital to secure Australia’s future as a clever country. “And on a personal level, people affected by type 1 diabetes need reassurance that health and management will improve, and we know that medical research is the only path to a better life and ultimately a cure for type 1 diabetes.”

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JDRF-funded researchers from Israel have released the results of a five-year study in which they successfully used a new class of drug to trick mice with diabetes to re-grow their own insulin-producing beta cells.

It has been known for some time that glucose is a key factor in the growth of beta cells. However, it’s not as simple as increasing blood glucose to re-grow beta cells, because inducing high levels of glucose in the blood has serious health implications that can include blindness, stroke and kidney failure.

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