New Diabetes Treatment Teaches Rogue Immune Cells To Behave
FRIDAY, July 14, 2017 -- A treatment targeting wayward immune cells in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes may help even years later, a new study finds. For the treatment, researchers take blood from a person with diabetes and separate out the immune system cells (lymphocytes). They briefly expose those cells to stem cells from umbilical cord blood from an unrelated infant. Then they return the lymphocytes to the patient's body. The researchers have dubbed this treatment "stem cell educator therapy," because when exposed to the stem cells, the errant lymphocytes seem to re-learn how they should behave. "Stem cell educator therapy is a safe approach" with long-term effectiveness, said the study's lead author, Dr. Yong Zhao. He's an associate scientist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease, occurs when the body's immune system cells mistakenly attack the insulin-producing, or beta, cells in the pancreas. This leaves people with type 1 diabetes with little to no insulin. They need insulin injections to survive. Researchers have long thought that any cure for type 1 diabetes would have to stop the autoimmune attack, while regenerating or transplanting beta cells. But Zhao and his team developed a new approach to the problem -- educating the immune cells that had been destroying beta cells so they stop attacking. In type 2 diabetes, Zhao said immune cell dysfunction is responsible for chronic inflammation that causes insulin resistance. When someone is insulin resistant, their body's cells can't properly use insulin to usher sugar from foods into cells for use as energy. Instead, the sugar builds up in the blood. The researchers hoped the stem cell educator would help decrease insulin resistance for people with type 2 Continue reading >>
New Type 2 Diabetes Medications
Even if you can manage your diabetes now by just eating well and being active, you may need medication someday. We've come far since the 1920s, when insulin was first used to treat diabetes. There's no magic pill yet, but you have more options than ever before to help control your blood sugar. And more are coming. Most type 2 diabetes drugs work by helping your body make insulin or use it better. Some new medicines are different because they don't have anything to do with insulin. Your kidneys try to keep glucose, a kind of sugar your cells use for energy, out of your pee. Proteins called sodium-glucose transporters (SGLTs) help your kidneys keep glucose in your blood instead of your pee. But with type 2 diabetes, if your blood sugar level is already creeping up, you don't need the glucose in your body. Pills known as SGLT2 inhibitors turn off one of those proteins so that you pee it out instead. Canagliflozin (Invokana) Dapagliflozin (Farxiga) Empagliflozin (Jardiance) These drugs have some extra benefits, says John B. Buse, MD, PhD, director of the Diabetes Care Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "You're losing calories through urine, so there is weight loss -- usually about 5 to 10 pounds in 6 to 12 months." When you take them, you lose a little bit of salt, too, which can help with your blood pressure. These drugs aren't perfect, he says. "The downside is that, because there is sugar in your nether regions, women have a higher risk of yeast infections, and uncircumcised men can get foreskin infections." To avoid the risk of dehydration, Buse says that elderly people with kidney disease and people who are taking diuretics, pills that make you pee out extra water, shouldn't take SGLT2 inhibitors. Another downside in taking SGLT2 inhibitors is t Continue reading >>
The Latest In Diabetes Drugs: Less Hypoglycemia, More Weight Loss
By Emma Ryan and Payal Marathe Research presented at EASD 2017 showcased drugs, both new and old, that improve blood sugar management, weight loss, heart health, and even blood pressure New research presented at the recent European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) conference showed promising results, including lower A1c, better heart health, weight loss, and less hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Click to read more about the most notable updates on new therapies: Semaglutide – a once-weekly GLP-1 injection for type 2 diabetes (under FDA review after a very positive Advisory Committee meeting in which four diaTribe Foundation volunteers participated) Bydureon – a once-weekly GLP-1 injection for type 2 diabetes (available now, with a newly-approved, easier way to take it) Add-on pills for type 1 – SGLT “class” Farxiga (available now) and sotagliflozin (in development) Tresiba – a once-daily basal insulin for type 1 and type 2 (available now) Sulfonylureas versus pioglitazone – type 2 diabetes pills (available now) Glimepiride versus ertugliflozin – type 2 diabetes pills (available now and in development, respectively) The EASD meeting also included discussions of much more than diabetes drug therapies. You can read diaTribe’s coverage of a study showing improved outcomes from CGM use during pregnancy and The diaTribe Foundation’s event on “Solvable Problems in Diabetes.” Semaglutide– a once-weekly injection for type 2 diabetes (under FDA review) Researchers presented new weight loss data on semaglutide, a once-weekly GLP-1 agonist that is currently under FDA review. The SUSTAIN 6 trial showed that people with type 2 diabetes on the lower dose of semaglutide lost more weight – an average of 8 pounds (4% of their body weight) – compar Continue reading >>
New Drug Appears To Eliminate Type 2 Diabetes For First Time
Type 2 diabetes, although influenced by a person’s genes, is largely thought to be brought about by a poor diet and being overweight for prolonged periods of time, particularly at an old age. The pancreas is either unable to produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells simply don’t react to insulin, which leads to dangerously high blood sugar levels. This is known as insulin resistance, and at present, there is no medical way to treat this. A new drug forged by a team at the University of California, however, might prove to be a veritable game-changer. As reported by New Scientist, a daily dose of the drug, given to mice with insulin resistance, canceled out the harmful condition. This is the first time that any treatment has effectively “cured” type 2 diabetes. The team of researchers had an inkling that a particular enzyme was responsible for bringing about insulin resistance. The enzyme – cacophonously known as low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphate, or LMPTP – can be found in the liver, and it appears to interact with cells in such a way that they become resistance to the presence of insulin. Conjuring up a brand new drug that was specifically designed to hinder the progress of LMPTP, the team thought that it would allow the cells’ insulin receptors to once again be able to react to insulin as they normally would. Much to their delight, they found that they were correct. “Our findings suggest that LMPTP is a key promoter of insulin resistance and that LMPTP inhibitors would be beneficial for treating type 2 diabetes,” the team noted in their Nature study. For this study, their drug was orally administered to a few unfortunate laboratory mice. These mice had been fed an extremely high-fat diet, and they had developed obesity and type 2 dia Continue reading >>
New Diabetes Drug Approved
Hot Topic New Diabetes Drug Approved Darrell Hulisz, RPh, PhamD Associate Professor, CWRU, School of Medicine Tom Saywell Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate, ONU College of Pharmacy Dapagliflozin (Farxiga®) was approved by the FDA in January 2014 to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus as an adjunct to diet and exercise. It can be used as a sole therapy or in combination with other medications. Dapagliflozin is a member of a newer class of antihyperglycemic agents known as sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors. The inhibition of SGLT-2 blocks renal reabsorption of glucose and increases excretion, thereby lowering blood glucose and achieving improved glycemic control. Safety and efficacy was evaluated in 16 clinical trials and improvement in HbA1c was seen with relatively few side effects. More common side effects include mycotic (fungal) infections, urinary tract infections, dehydration, orthostatic hypotension, and worsening renal function. An increased incidence of bladder cancer was noted in the trials; thus, dapagliflozin is not recommended for patients with active bladder cancer or a history of bladder cancer. The drug is contraindicated in type 1 diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis and moderate to severe renal impairment or failure. Dapagliflozin can be utilized in patients with type 2 diabetes and adequate renal function (CrCl > 60mL/min) when additional glycemic control is indicated, and it has a potential added benefit of reduction in weight and blood pressure. The drug is available in 5mg and 10mg, non-scored tablets to be dose initially 5mg once daily and increased to 10mg once daily if necessary. Use of dapagliflozin is not recommended in patients with an estimated GFR of < 60ml/min. Because of this, the drug will be limite Continue reading >>
Researcher May Have Found A Cure For Diabetes
The most common form of treatment for Type 1 diabetes involves monitoring glucose levels and injecting insulin several times a day. Ending the world’s diabetes epidemic could be one step closer, with a promising new technique curing the condition in mice. Scientists at the University of Texas announced the breakthrough, which uses a novel approach that may eliminate Type 1 diabetes and see painful insulin injections become a thing of the past. University of Texas Health Science Center doctors used a virus as a carrier to introduce insulin-producing genes into the pancreas of rodent subjects. Professor Ralph DeFronzo said researchers altered cells so they secreted insulin, but only in response to glucose — mimicking the behavior of the body’s beta cells. This study bypasses the autoimmune system by altering other pancreatic cells so they can co-exist with immune defenses — unlike beta cells, which are rejected in Type 1 patients. At the moment, Type 1 diabetes is treated by monitoring glucose levels and injecting artificial insulin several times a day. While technology has made management of the condition easier, a cure has been elusive — until now. The patent’s co-inventor, Professor Bruno Doiron, said the results had never been seen before. “It worked perfectly,” Doiron said. “We cured mice for one year without any side effects.” Doiron predicted the same low-risk response in humans. “If a Type 1 diabetic has been living with these cells for 30, 40 or 50 years, and all we’re getting them to do is secrete insulin, we expect there to be no adverse immune response.” DeFronzo said the same method of treatment has been approved almost 50 times by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat various conditions, including rare childhood diseases. Whi Continue reading >>
Buse Leads Clinical Trial Of New Diabetes Treatment
Narratives That Are Shared: Writing for Resilience Buse leads clinical trial of new diabetes treatment The study is designed to evaluate whether TTP399 is well tolerated when administered as an add-on to insulin therapy and can improve daily glucose profiles and HbA1c in people living with type 1 diabetes. John Buse, MD, PhD,director of theNorth Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Instituteand of the UNC Diabetes Center at the UNC School of Medicine, is the principal investigator in a new Phase 1b/@ study evaluating a compound called TTP399 for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. It is very exciting to launch this effort to potentially develop a completely novel pill therapy for type 1 diabetes, Buse said. "This disease is characterized by a huge burden of care on more than one million Americans affected and with limited treatment options. The UNC team is very hopeful that better treatments for type 1 diabetes will be near at hand. TTP399 is manufactured by vTv Therapeutics Inc. of High Point, North Carolina, which is sponsoring the trial. The study is being conducted with support from JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. The study is designed to evaluate whether TTP399 is well tolerated when administered as an add-on to insulin therapy and can improve daily glucose profiles and HbA1c in people living with T1D. Results from the Phase1b part of the study are expected in early 2018. TTP399 is an orally available glucokinase enzyme (GK) activator that is designed to target GK activation only in the liver for superior glucose control. In the liver, GK is a key regulator of glucose metabolism, and its activation has been shown to increase glucose utilization, which in turn lowers blood glucose. In a six-month Phase 2b clinical Continue reading >>
Treatment Of Type 1 Diabetes: Synopsis Of The 2017 American Diabetes Association Standards Of Medical Care In Diabetes Free
Abstract Description: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) annually updates Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes to provide clinicians, patients, researchers, payers, and other interested parties with evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of patients with diabetes. Methods: For the 2017 Standards of Care, the ADA Professional Practice Committee did MEDLINE searches from 1 January 2016 to November 2016 to add, clarify, or revise recommendations on the basis of new evidence. The committee rated the recommendations as A, B, or C, depending on the quality of evidence, or E for expert consensus or clinical experience. The Standards of Care were reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee of the ADA Board of Directors, which includes health care professionals, scientists, and laypersons. Feedback from the larger clinical community informed revisions. Recommendation: This synopsis focuses on recommendations from the 2017 Standards of Care about monitoring and pharmacologic approaches to glycemic management for type 1 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) first released its practice guidelines for health professionals in 1989. The Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes have since provided an extensive set of evidence-based recommendations that are updated annually for the diagnosis and management of patients with diabetes. The 2017 Standards of Care cover all aspects of patient care (1); this guideline synopsis focuses on monitoring and pharmacologic approaches for patients with type 1 diabetes. Guideline Development and Evidence Grading Monitoring Glycemia in Type 1 Diabetes Glycemic Goals: Recommendations Pharmacologic Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes: Recommendations Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- New ADA 2017 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes
- What to Know About the ADA's 2018 Standards of Medical Care if You Have Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes Can Be Reversed In Just Four Months, Trial Shows
Type 2 diabetes can be reversed in just four months, trial shows Lifestyle changes coupled with drugs reversed diabetes in 40 per cent of patients in just four monthsCredit:Alamy Type 2 diabetes can be reversed in just four months by cutting calories, exercising and keeping glucose under control, a trial has shown. Although the condition is considered to be chronic, requiring a lifetime of medication , Canadian researchers proved it was possible to restore insulin production for 40 per cent of patients. The treatment plan involved creating a personalised exercise regime for each trial participant and reducing their calories by between 500 and 750 a day. The participants also met regularly with a nurse and dietician to track progress and continued to take medication and insulin to manage their blood sugar levels. After just four months, 40 per cent of patients were able to stop taking their medication because their bodies had begun to produce adequate amounts of insulin again. Encouraging exercise and cutting calories allowed the pancreas to rest, scientists believeCredit:Getty The researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, said the programme worked because it gavethe insulin-producing pancreas a rest. "The research might shift the paradigm of treating diabetes from simply controlling glucose to an approach where we induce remission and then monitor patients for any signs of relapse," said the study's first author, Dr Natalia McInnes, of McMaster. "The idea of reversing the disease is very appealing to individuals with diabetes. It motivates them to make significant lifestyle changes. This likely gives the pancreas a rest and decreases fat stores in the body, which in turn improves insulin production and effectiveness." The number of people in the UK with ty Continue reading >>
9 Diabetes Breakthroughs You Need To Know About
Diabetes is not just one condition - but whether your body is struggling with blood sugar levels due to type 1, or type 2, or even only during pregnancy, it's a serious condition that requires daily care and still doesn't have a cure. But scientists have been working hard to find cures, new treatments, and better management techniques for the millions of people worldwide dealing with diabetes. Here are some of the latest developments you need to know about. 1. Brand new beta cells. Type 1 diabetes develops when a person's immune system wipes out insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. But it turns out that another type of immature beta cell has been hiding in our pancreases all along, and scientists think it might be possible to use these 'virgin beta cells' to restore the functionality of the pancreas. 2. A preventative vaccine. Finnish researchers are about to embark on the first-ever clinical trial for a type 1 diabetes prevention vaccine. While it's not a cure for those who already have the condition, a successful vaccine could potentially prevent thousands of cases each year, as the vaccine targets a virus linked with the development of an autoimmune reaction in the pancreas. 3. A unique transplant. One woman with severe type 1 diabetes has spent a year without insulin injections thanks to an experimental transplant. Doctors implanted insulin-producing cells into a fatty membrane in the stomach cavity, and the success of the operation is paving the way towards more people receiving artificial pancreases. 4. New pancreas tissue. Earlier this year scientists announced that they reversed type 1 diabetes in mice by giving them a transplant of pancreatic tissue. The tissue was grown using stem cells from non-diabetic mice, and the success of this method suggests i Continue reading >>
Scientists Discover A New Way To Treat Type 2 Diabetes
Medication currently being used to treat obesity is also proving to have significant health benefits for patients with type 2 diabetes. A new study published today in Molecular Metabolism explains how this therapeutic benefit for type 2 diabetes is achieved by acting in our brain. Scientists from the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute, in collaboration with teams from the Universities of Cambridge and Michigan, have discovered that the medication Lorcaserin acts in the brain to improve type 2 diabetes by modifying the activity of neurones that help to regulate blood glucose levels. Lorcaserin is prescribed to help patients lose weight and works by regulating how hungry we feel. However, researchers have discovered that as well as doing this, the drug can also reduce glucose levels in the body and increase the body's cells sensitivity to insulin. When the body fails to produce enough insulin or the body's cells fail to react to insulin this leads to Type 2 diabetes meaning that glucose remains in the blood rather than being used as fuel for energy. Professor Lora Heisler, who is leading the Aberdeen team, explains: "Current medications for type 2 diabetes improve symptoms of this disease by acting in the body. We have discovered that this obesity drug, lorcaserin, acts in the brain to improve type 2 diabetes. "Lorcaserin targets important brain hormones called pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides, which are responsible for regulating appetite. So as well as sending messages telling us we are full and no longer need to eat, leading to weight loss, the POMC hormones also activate a different brain circuit that helps keep our blood glucose in check. "This discovery is important because type 2 diabetes is an incredibly prevalent disease in the modern world and new treat Continue reading >>
New Diabetes Products For 2017: Lancing Devices And Diabetes Drugs
For the last year, Diabetes Self-Management has been following all the new innovations and products aimed at helping to improve the lives of those living with diabetes. From the latest glucometers and monitoring systems to insulin pumps, pens, and treatments, several major advancements made their impact on the diabetes community in 2016. When selecting some of the new products, we first talked to Gary Scheiner, MS, CDE, clinical director of Integrated Diabetes Services of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Scheiner, known as the MacGyver of diabetes products, has lived with Type 1 diabetes for more than 30 years. He tries out new products before recommending them to patients. “It’s important to see new products from the user’s point of view, not just from the [health-care practitioner’s] side of things,” said Scheiner. In 2016, the pace of innovation continued to race ahead with unbelievable technology right out of a Star Trek episode. The growing use of smartphone technology and mobile applications has led to better access to blood glucose readings, general health information, and much more. Read on to learn about the newest products. We guarantee you there’s something here for everyone, whether you live with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. In this installment, we look at lancing devices and diabetes drugs that have recently hit the market. Lancing devices Motivated to help a friend with Type 2 diabetes, bioengineer Christopher Jacobs, PhD, developed a new lancing device, called Genteel, to reduce the pain of pricking fingertips. “I was moved by his distress, compelled by our friendship, and undone by the irresistible siren song that lies at the heart of every engineering challenge,” said Jacobs. For 10 years, Jacobs studied the limitations of current devices and the Continue reading >>
Where Are All The New Diabetes Drugs?
As oncologists race forward with new treatments verging on science fiction and biotech companies press on with drugs for once-hopeless rare disorders, one of the world’s most pervasive diseases looks like it’s been left behind. There are few new drugs on the horizon for diabetes, which affects about 29 million Americans. Most of the treatments in late-stage development are simply improved versions of what’s out there — taken weekly versus daily, or orally instead of by injection. Continue reading >>
Diabetes Wonder Drug: New Pill Can 'significantly' Improve Health Of Type 2 Sufferers
British researchers have shown a simple pill has the power to lower blood sugar and promote weight loss in just three months. The development is significant as the once a day tablet could potentially end the need for painful daily insulin injections. And it comes as figures show the diabetes epidemic gripping the UK costs the NHS more than £10 billion a year with a new diagnosis made every two minutes. Trials showed up to 90 per cent of patients receiving semaglutide lowered their blood glucose levels and experienced “meaningful” weight loss. Study leader Melanie Davies, Professor of Diabetes Medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “These results demonstrating semaglutide’s ability to have a significant impact on lowering blood glucose and support weight loss when taken orally therefore are hugely promising. “Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition with potentially devastating complications which is posing a major challenge to health services across the world because of the increasing numbers of people developing it.” Although there are several treatments for Type 2 currently available many come with an increased risk of developing low blood sugar, a condition known as hypoglycaemia, and weight gain. The pill could be available in as little as two years. Type 2 diabetics either do not produce enough insulin, which controls blood sugar levels, or the insulin they produce does not work properly. The condition is largely lifestyle driven with nine in 10 sufferers overweight or obese. Fri, August 19, 2016 Diabetes is a common life-long health condition. There are 3.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and an estimated 500,000 who are living undiagnosed with the condition. Meanwhile, about 12 million people in the UK are at increased risk of Continue reading >>
This New Treatment Could Provide Weeks Of Glucose Control For Type 2 Diabetes Patients
To control their blood sugar levels, people with type 2 diabetes constantly need to rely on medication, but it's a tricky condition to manage, especially if you need daily insulin shots. Researchers have been working on a new method for delivering diabetes drugs to make them last longer in the body. Now a recent study using both mice and monkeys has shown potential for treatments that would only require a couple of injections a month. Some of the latest-generation type 2 diabetes drugs contain a molecule called GLP1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), which stimulates insulin production in the body only when it needs more glucose. That sounds ideal, but unfortunately, GLP1 has a really short half-life - it breaks down in the body quickly, making it an impractical long-term treatment on its own. By combining it with other molecules, it's possible to extend the half-life of GLP1. But that method still only gets us to about 3-7 days. Right now, patients in the US already have some options that can be injected weekly, but scientists are looking for a way to slow down the release of the drug itself. Now a team from Duke University has managed to combine GLP1 with a biopolymer molecule that starts out as a liquid in colder temperatures, but thickens into a gel-like substance in reaction to body heat. This means the solution can be administered with a simple injection, but once it gets into the body, the drug is released very slowly, so it can control blood glucose levels for longer with just one dose. To test how their new solution would work for actual diabetes treatment, the researchers tried the drug in both mice and in rhesus monkeys - two species with well-established diabetes models. They got exciting results in both: in mice, the new GLP1 solution controlled glucose levels for Continue reading >>
