JDRF - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

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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Researchers from the Garvan Institute in Sydney have found a drug that may remove the need for immunosuppression following islet transplantation.

The JDRF-funded researchers developed a ‘reagent’ or chemical agent that allowed mice with diabetes to accept donor cells from an islet transplantation as their own, with no need for immunosuppressive drugs.

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JDRF has announced a new partnership with Eli Lilly and Company in the United States to fund early-stage research aimed at re-growing those cells that are destroyed when a person has type 1 diabetes.

The partnership will support a three-year, $1.4 million pre-clinical research program at the University of Geneva, led by Dr. Pedro Herrera.

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Early results from a US study have found that Januvia, a widely used medication that lowers blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, could help those with type 1 lower their BGL when used in tandem with insulin.

Dr Satish Garg, from the University of Colorado, found that Januvia helped to lower BGL in people with type 1 diabetes who were having difficulty stabilising blood sugar levels. On average, the trial participants were able to reduce their insulin dose by 10% with this once-a-day tablet.

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People affected by type 1 diabetes live with constant fear about night-time hypos and there is now technology with the potential to relieve some of those fears.

The HypoMon® is described as the world’s first non-invasive system to detect and alert users of sleep-time hypoglycaemia.

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A US study has found that adults who have had type 1 diabetes since childhood are living longer lives, but their mortality rate is still significantly higher than the general population.

The study, conducted in Pennsylvania, observed more than 1000 patients who were born between 1965 and 1979 and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before the age of 18.

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A Finnish study has reported that children at a high risk of developing type 1 diabetes were more likely to develop autoantibodies associated with type 1 diabetes when given normal cows’ milk formula rather than hydrolysed or chemically broken down milk formula.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, observed 230 Finnish children for 10 years. Researchers compared the development of autoantibodies in children given normal cows’ milk formula and children given hydrolysed (chemically broken down) milk formula during infancy, when breast milk was unavailable.

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Your eyes may be the windows to the soul but Australian researchers are also finding they can save the lives and limbs of people with diabetes.

Many people with diabetes have full medical schedules. They have to see the cardiologists to check their blood pressure, the optometrist for eyes, podiatrist for feet… and the list goes on.

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