Category: Uncategorized

January 25, 2020

­­For years, researchers have been trying to find the potential causes for type 1 diabetes (T1D), the autoimmune disease in which the body destroys insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, resulting in insufficient insulin secretion and high blood glucose levels. The origins of the disease are still unknown, although research indicates that both genetics and the environment play a role.

Dr. Suheda Erener, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia, is currently investigating whether micro-RNAs – a family of single-stranded molecules which are key regulators of gene expression and beta cell function – can predict the development of T1D.

She and her colleagues are profiling the micro-RNAs of children with recent onset diabetes. According to their research, some micro-RNAs play critical roles in T1D and may help establish which individuals are at risk of the disease.   

Micro-RNAs have emerged as important regulators of gene expression in the last two decades and changes in micro-RNA expression within tissues have been detected in many disorders including cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Identifying which genes and signaling pathways these micro-RNAs modulate may not only increase scientists’ understanding of the underlying causes of T1D, but also open up novel therapies to stop beta cell destruction and/or enhance their survival and function. As well, the accurate prediction of T1D using micro-RNAs as biomarkers in individuals with no symptoms may allow for the preservation of beta cell function early during the course of the disease, delaying its onset or curing it altogether.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog. 

November 25, 2019

The death of beta cells results from an autoimmune attack that is characteristic of type 1 diabetes (T1D). This can lead to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), complications, and even unawareness among people with a severe form of the disease.

Sernova Corp., a regenerative medicine company based in London, ON., has shown in its JDRF-funded clinical trial that its cell replacement therapy, Cell Pouch^TM, can restore insulin production among people living with T1D.

An alternative to drugs, the Cell Pouch^TM system involves an implantable medical device that forms a highly vascularized environment in the body for the housing, function, and long-term survival of therapeutic cells, which release proteins or hormones to treat chronic diseases like T1D.

The detection of C-peptide, a biomarker of insulin production, in the bloodstream of the trial’s first patient is another important success in the field of beta cell replacement therapy – a strategy which aims to replace lost or damaged beta cells with insulin-producing beta cells in people with the disease. Supporting this area of research is also one of JDRF’s most critical undertakings, with an investment of more than $140 million to date.

JDRF is funding Sernova Corp.’s phase I/II clinical trial in participants with T1D and hypoglycemia unawareness based in Chicago, IL., USA. For more information on this study, please visit the clinical trials registry. For more details on recruitment and enrollment, please click here.

Beta cell replacement therapies aim to provide insulin on demand from cells implanted in the body and have the potential to eliminate insulin therapy and liberate people from the burdens of managing T1D for months or even years at a time. The shortage of donor beta cells and the need for strong immunosuppressive drugs, however, make beta cell transplantation an impractical solution for most people.

JDRF is heeding the call, advancing beta cell replacement technologies that can restore glucose control and deliver long-term insulin independence, without suppressing the body’s immune system and the ability to fight infections. Sernova Corp. is moving another step forward in the development of its Cell Pouch^TM and the technology will hopefully be approved in the coming years.

This month, twenty years ago, a pioneering clinical trial in Alberta marked a major advancement in islet transplantation for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D).

On March 11, 1999, the Edmonton Protocol – a new method of transplanting pancreatic cells to treat T1D – saw its first participant receive a transfer of islet cells from a donated pancreas into their liver at the University of Alberta. The production of insulin by the donor’s islet cells helped the transplant recipient regain control of his blood sugar levels, thereby eliminating or greatly reducing the need for insulin injections. According to an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine on July 27, 2000, the seven people who took part in the study became insulin-independent for the 12 months following the procedure.

In collaboration with the Medical Research Council of Canada, JDRF supported the preclinical studies that led to the Edmonton Protocol. It also established nine JDRF Human Islet Distribution Programs in 1998, including the University of Alberta, which provided the islet cells for the procedure in Edmonton. Dr. James Shapiro, a JDRF-funded investigator and a multi-organ transplant surgeon at the institution, led the team that introduced the Edmonton Protocol and optimized the medication given with islet transplants.

Today there is a growing demand for organ donors. In order to succeed, a minimum of 300,000 cells derived from the same pancreas are needed for a transplant. A donated pancreas contains about one million islet cells and researchers are currently able to isolate up to half of them, making more people eligible for the procedure.

“The Edmonton Protocol was a milestone achievement that significantly changed the T1D landscape,” says Dave Prowten, president and CEO of JDRF Canada. “The past 20 years have seen more people benefitting from islet transplantation and JDRF is proud to invest in this promising initiative that is bringing us one step closer to a cure.”

Despite the lifelong need for immunosuppressive drugs to prevent graft rejection, islet transplantation has been shown to greatly improve the quality of life for individuals with a severe form of T1D, while freeing them from multiple daily insulin shots that can lead to other problems, such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). As a result of new and improved methods to isolate islet cells, transplantation rates are expected to grow in the future until a cure for the disease is found.

Today JDRF continues to build on the Edmonton Protocol and Dr. Shapiro’s work. We are not only funding beta cell replacement therapy research, but also exploring the genetic modifications of transplantable stem cells and scaffolding technologies (encapsulation) to improve islet graft outcomes among people without the need for immunosuppressive drugs.

To learn more about beta cell therapy, click here.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog.