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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Antibodies May Be Effective in Reversing Type 1 Diabetes

Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have highlighted findings that may be crucial in the battle to treat Type 1 diabetes. These researchers injected antibodies into mice suffering from diabetes. The research concluded that the injections helped reverse the condition. Could this offer hope to humans suffering from Type 1 diabetes as well?

The findings were published in the Journal of Diabetes. Many researchers feel the findings are encouraging for many people suffering from the condition. However, they also warn that a solution may be years away.

Antibody injections have already been tested on people suffering from the condition. They have been found to be an effective method of slowing the progression of the disease, but have only been able to do so for a short period of time. Roland Tisch is the University of North Carolina professor of immunology and microbiology who led the study. According to Tisch, researchers will need to develop a new series of antibody treatments to help treat diabetic patients.

Tisch said that although current treatments have not been shown to reverse the disease, the fact that they can at least slow the progression is encouraging. One of the biggest challenges medical professionals face is the fact that the antibodies used are depleting. These antibodies have been shown to destroy T-cells, which limits their effectiveness. They are therefore trying to develop non-depleting antibodies which aren’t going to destroy T-cells, which are known to play a key role in treating diabetes.

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