Scientists Find Cure For Diabetes - GoFuckYourself.com

KRL · 11-13-2003, 10:13 PM

Wow, this deadly and dibilitating disease impacts tens of millions of people every year. Great news!

Researchers Cure Diabetes in Mice

THURSDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDayNews) -- Massachusetts researchers say they have cured type 1 diabetes in mice.

And the technique they used -- injecting spleen cells that remarkably turned themselves into insulin-producing cells -- holds great promise for people with the disease. However, the scientists say, a lack of funding for the necessary human clinical trials is hampering their work.

The researchers, led by Dr. Denise L. Faustman, director of Massachusetts General Hospital's Immunobiology Laboratory, are reporting in the Nov. 14 issue of Science that their technique seems applicable to other autoimmune conditions, in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissue.

"We must get 500 calls a month from people who want to be in clinical trials," Faustman says. "The enthusiasm of the patient population is impressive."

"There is a huge amount of momentum required that people don't appreciate in moving from raising $1 million dollars a year to raising $20 million a year to get human trials started," she adds.

The animal studies have been financed primarily by the Iacocca Foundation, set up by automotive legend Lee Iacocca to support diabetes research after his wife, Mary, died of complications of the disease. But "they don't have the resources to scale up to human clinical trials," Faustman says.

The demand for human trials of the technique is there, Faustman says, expressed by patients who must give themselves insulin injections day after day to stay alive and well.

Those patients are responding to a series of reports of progress at Faustman's laboratory against type 1 diabetes, in which the immune system destroys insulin-producing islet cells. Type 1 diabetes generally appears early in life and is much more difficult to treat than type 2 diabetes, in which the body's insulin production gradually declines.

Insulin, a hormone, is needed to carry sugar from the bloodstream to the body's cells, which use the sugar -- called glucose -- for energy.

The Massachusetts researchers' first step in the mice study was to stop the immune system attack on islet cells with injections of TNF-alpha, a naturally occurring protein that destroys the wayward immune system cells.

Then they injected spleen cells from healthy mice into the diabetic mice who had been treated with TNF-alpha. The spleen cells were used because they carry proteins that play a key role in teaching new immune cells to recognize normal tissue.

The idea was that the spleen cells would halt the autoimmune attack, so that transplants of islet cells would restore insulin production. But then came a huge surprise. No transplants were needed, because insulin started to be produced by normal islet cells that unexpectedly appeared in the mice.

Some of those insulin-producing cells appeared as the few remaining islet cells in the mice multiplied -- a regeneration process that was something of a surprise to the researchers.

But there was an even bigger surprise. Some of the injected spleen cells had transformed into islet cells, "which was kind of amazing to us," Faustman says.

The transformation could help explain the very existence of the spleen, she says. The organ, which acts as a filter against foreign organisms that infect the bloodstream, is not considered essential. People can live without a spleen because its function can be taken over by other organs.

The important fact, Faustman says, is that adult cells can undergo this kind of transformation and regeneration, which has also recently been seen in other tissues, most notably nerve cells.

So the idea of re-educating the immune system not to attack friendly tissue and then regenerating cells to restore normal function could be applied to other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis -- if the money was there, Faustman says.

One reason why money is needed is that TNF-alpha "is not a drug that is on the market," she says. "There is no validated manufacturing technique. It would cost $5 million to $10 million to establish one."

The American Diabetes Society would seem a natural source of funding, but "their grants are generally in the neighborhood of $100,000 or $200,000 a year," she says. There are hopes for support from the federal government or the pharmaceutical industry.

"Money could really move this forward," Faustman says. "Massachusetts General Hospital is trying all angles to get support for clinical trials."

Spunky · 11-13-2003, 10:15 PM

Now if they could only find a cure for cancer.None the Less positive news

twistyneck · 11-13-2003, 10:17 PM

Great news. Too bad it will probably take decades to make it work in humans.

DaLord · 11-13-2003, 10:17 PM

I've had diabetes for 20 years now and I've heard this story 20 times now. Getting annoying and boring.

But I'm sure they mean well...

StuartD · 11-13-2003, 10:19 PM

There's no money in a cure. It'll never be developed for humans. Stopping it enough for you to have to buy medication for the rest of your life is the only sound business solution.

Stupid world. I hate it.

Do you remember the last thing that scientists cured?

Small pox? That was it, wasn't it? And how long ago was that?

They are smarter than that. If they can tell me how big the gallaxy is and how fast it's expanding and yadda yadda yadda... they can figure out a way to cure more than on desease this century.

Gemini · 11-13-2003, 10:26 PM

Hope they get their funding soon! An awful lot of people could use that cure if it works in human as well.

DaLord · 11-13-2003, 10:30 PM

Yea it would rule if they could cure it... my God I would eat SHITLOADS of candy then.

Sarah_Jayne · 11-13-2003, 11:21 PM

if only it was true, so many people in my life have one form or another.

hyper · 11-13-2003, 11:25 PM

I loved the report on how they rebuilt heart muscle tissue

http://www.msnbc.com/news/959999.asp

smack · 11-13-2003, 11:28 PM

incredible. it's such a common disease yet some people don't realize how deadly if unregulateed it can be. i hope they can work this out for humans soon.

unconnected · 11-13-2003, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MaskedMan
There's no money in a cure. It'll never be developed for humans. Stopping it enough for you to have to buy medication for the rest of your life is the only sound business solution.

Stupid world. I hate it.

Do you remember the last thing that scientists cured?

Small pox? That was it, wasn't it? And how long ago was that?

They are smarter than that. If they can tell me how big the gallaxy is and how fast it's expanding and yadda yadda yadda... they can figure out a way to cure more than on desease this century.

Too much Chris Rock for you!

StuartD · 11-13-2003, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by unconnected

Too much Chris Rock for you!

can you ever have too much?

Besides, he has a point

Theo · 11-13-2003, 11:45 PM

Such a great research is lacking funds and needs public attention to raise from donations while the cost of one of the bombs dropped in iraq would have covered it.

Carrie · 11-14-2003, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Soul_Rebel
Such a great research is lacking funds and needs public attention to raise from donations while the cost of one of the bombs dropped in iraq would have covered it.

And Larry Flynt could donate enough tomorrow to cover it without even blinking. As could Bill Gates. Or even Paris Hilton.

I'm sure these researchers are getting a lot of money in gov't grants and will be getting even more now that they've had this breakthrough. But comparing it to a bomb in Iraq is just as silly as saying Flynt/Gates/Hilton should fund it.

Theo · 11-14-2003, 12:19 AM

What's silly? that your tax money and Flynt's, Gates, Hilton's tax money ended up on a "nonsense" war while a research that could save many thousands lives is depended on donations?

"The American Diabetes Society would seem a natural source of funding, but "their grants are generally in the neighborhood of $100,000 or $200,000 a year," she says. There are hopes for support from the federal government or the pharmaceutical industry."

There's hope....

11-13-2003, 10:13 PM	#1
KRL Entrepreneur Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA Posts: 31,429	Scientists Find Cure For Diabetes Wow, this deadly and dibilitating disease impacts tens of millions of people every year. Great news! Researchers Cure Diabetes in Mice THURSDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDayNews) -- Massachusetts researchers say they have cured type 1 diabetes in mice. And the technique they used -- injecting spleen cells that remarkably turned themselves into insulin-producing cells -- holds great promise for people with the disease. However, the scientists say, a lack of funding for the necessary human clinical trials is hampering their work. The researchers, led by Dr. Denise L. Faustman, director of Massachusetts General Hospital's Immunobiology Laboratory, are reporting in the Nov. 14 issue of Science that their technique seems applicable to other autoimmune conditions, in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissue. "We must get 500 calls a month from people who want to be in clinical trials," Faustman says. "The enthusiasm of the patient population is impressive." "There is a huge amount of momentum required that people don't appreciate in moving from raising $1 million dollars a year to raising $20 million a year to get human trials started," she adds. The animal studies have been financed primarily by the Iacocca Foundation, set up by automotive legend Lee Iacocca to support diabetes research after his wife, Mary, died of complications of the disease. But "they don't have the resources to scale up to human clinical trials," Faustman says. The demand for human trials of the technique is there, Faustman says, expressed by patients who must give themselves insulin injections day after day to stay alive and well. Those patients are responding to a series of reports of progress at Faustman's laboratory against type 1 diabetes, in which the immune system destroys insulin-producing islet cells. Type 1 diabetes generally appears early in life and is much more difficult to treat than type 2 diabetes, in which the body's insulin production gradually declines. Insulin, a hormone, is needed to carry sugar from the bloodstream to the body's cells, which use the sugar -- called glucose -- for energy. The Massachusetts researchers' first step in the mice study was to stop the immune system attack on islet cells with injections of TNF-alpha, a naturally occurring protein that destroys the wayward immune system cells. Then they injected spleen cells from healthy mice into the diabetic mice who had been treated with TNF-alpha. The spleen cells were used because they carry proteins that play a key role in teaching new immune cells to recognize normal tissue. The idea was that the spleen cells would halt the autoimmune attack, so that transplants of islet cells would restore insulin production. But then came a huge surprise. No transplants were needed, because insulin started to be produced by normal islet cells that unexpectedly appeared in the mice. Some of those insulin-producing cells appeared as the few remaining islet cells in the mice multiplied -- a regeneration process that was something of a surprise to the researchers. But there was an even bigger surprise. Some of the injected spleen cells had transformed into islet cells, "which was kind of amazing to us," Faustman says. The transformation could help explain the very existence of the spleen, she says. The organ, which acts as a filter against foreign organisms that infect the bloodstream, is not considered essential. People can live without a spleen because its function can be taken over by other organs. The important fact, Faustman says, is that adult cells can undergo this kind of transformation and regeneration, which has also recently been seen in other tissues, most notably nerve cells. So the idea of re-educating the immune system not to attack friendly tissue and then regenerating cells to restore normal function could be applied to other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis -- if the money was there, Faustman says. One reason why money is needed is that TNF-alpha "is not a drug that is on the market," she says. "There is no validated manufacturing technique. It would cost $5 million to $10 million to establish one." The American Diabetes Society would seem a natural source of funding, but "their grants are generally in the neighborhood of $100,000 or $200,000 a year," she says. There are hopes for support from the federal government or the pharmaceutical industry. "Money could really move this forward," Faustman says. "Massachusetts General Hospital is trying all angles to get support for clinical trials." __________________ If you would like to develop your domains, you can lease inexpensive foreign labor from the leaders in the field at iWebmasters.com TO LOWER YOUR COSTS AND INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTION! * * * * * * * * * * * * Domains Adult News KRL's Newsletter Biz Tips Just Listed Domains

11-13-2003, 10:15 PM	#2
Spunky I need a beer Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: ♠ Toiletville ♠ Posts: 133,934	Now if they could only find a cure for cancer.None the Less positive news __________________ *YOUR INFORMATION HERE*

11-13-2003, 10:19 PM	#5
StuartD Sofa King Band Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Outside the box Posts: 29,903	There's no money in a cure. It'll never be developed for humans. Stopping it enough for you to have to buy medication for the rest of your life is the only sound business solution. Stupid world. I hate it. Do you remember the last thing that scientists cured? Small pox? That was it, wasn't it? And how long ago was that? They are smarter than that. If they can tell me how big the gallaxy is and how fast it's expanding and yadda yadda yadda... they can figure out a way to cure more than on desease this century. __________________ This is me on facebook This is me on twitter

11-13-2003, 10:26 PM	#6
Gemini Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: o-HI-o Posts: 7,183	Hope they get their funding soon! An awful lot of people could use that cure if it works in human as well. __________________ <center><a target="_blank" href="http://dev.datedollars.com/index.php?s=signup&aid=535&cfg=aac"><img border="0" src="http://216.130.172.224/gfy/gsig.gif" width="490" height="100"></a><br><a href="http://dev.datedollars.com/index.php?s=signup&aid=535&cfg=aac" target="_blank"><b><font face="Arial"><font color="#FF99FF"> Buy me away from Slavedriver Smokey!<br>It's May Sig Sweeps!<font></b></center>

11-13-2003, 11:25 PM	#9
hyper Confirmed User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mass Ass Posts: 5,294	I loved the report on how they rebuilt heart muscle tissue http://www.msnbc.com/news/959999.asp __________________

11-13-2003, 10:17 PM	#3
twistyneck So Fucking Banned Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Hanging by the neck until dead. Posts: 4,660	Great news. Too bad it will probably take decades to make it work in humans.

11-13-2003, 10:17 PM	#4
DaLord Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Denmark Posts: 3,318	I've had diabetes for 20 years now and I've heard this story 20 times now. Getting annoying and boring. But I'm sure they mean well...

11-13-2003, 10:30 PM	#7
DaLord Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Denmark Posts: 3,318	Yea it would rule if they could cure it... my God I would eat SHITLOADS of candy then.

11-13-2003, 11:21 PM	#8
Sarah_Jayne Now with more Jayne Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 40,077	if only it was true, so many people in my life have one form or another.

11-13-2003, 11:28 PM	#10
smack Push Porn Like Weight. Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Inside .NET Posts: 10,652	incredible. it's such a common disease yet some people don't realize how deadly if unregulateed it can be. i hope they can work this out for humans soon. __________________ Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.

11-13-2003, 11:45 PM	#13
Theo HAL 9000 Industry Role: Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 34,515	Such a great research is lacking funds and needs public attention to raise from donations while the cost of one of the bombs dropped in iraq would have covered it.

11-14-2003, 12:19 AM	#15
Theo HAL 9000 Industry Role: Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 34,515	What's silly? that your tax money and Flynt's, Gates, Hilton's tax money ended up on a "nonsense" war while a research that could save many thousands lives is depended on donations? "The American Diabetes Society would seem a natural source of funding, but "their grants are generally in the neighborhood of $100,000 or $200,000 a year," she says. There are hopes for support from the federal government or the pharmaceutical industry." There's hope....