This content originally appeared on diaTribe. Republished with permission.

By Anna Brooks

On the seek for a kind 1 diabetes cure, scientists are experimenting with the way to engineer beta cells to survive immune system attacks. On the American Diabetes Association’s 83rd Scientific Sessions in San Diego, experts shared early research findings and where we’re on the trail to stopping type 1 diabetes. 

Researchers, advocates, and patients have long looked for a cure for type 1 diabetes, a chronic autoimmune condition during which the immune system destroys insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.

At once, the closest thing to a cure is a pancreas transplant or the transplantation of beta cells from deceased donors. Each options include major caveats, resembling the limited variety of pancreatic organ donors, how complicated it’s to guard transplanted beta cells, and the necessity for long-term immunosuppressive medication.

“To achieve the true control for glucose that patients need, we’d like to seek out a cure,” said Judith Agudo, principal investigator on the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “And a real cure comes from getting back what’s missing – the missing beta cells.”

Agudo was one in all a handful of experts who spoke on the ADA’s Scientific Sessions and shared what they’re working on to crack the beta cell code and other pathways to stop type 1 diabetes.

Engineering super-strong beta cells

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system identifies beta cells as foreign. This triggers T-cells (which normally help protect the body from infection) to attack. One strategy for coping with that is taking medication that lowers the body’s immune response.

The problem here is that suppressing the immune system makes the body more vulnerable to infection and cancer. Individuals with diabetes are already at a better risk for developing infections and cancer, so long-term immunosuppression comes with additional risks.

Agudo has been studying model T-cells she created called Jedi T-cells, which enable her to check the immune system’s attack on beta cells. Through her research, she noticed that though many cells were targeted by Jedi T-cells, some were in a position to survive.

“We learn from nature, from cells which might be in a position to escape from an immune attack,” she said. “It tells us it is a healthy, insulin-producing beta cell that’s coping with a powerful T-cell attack.”

While the mechanism behind why some beta cells can resist a T-cell onslaught is unknown, Agudo said uncovering this might allow scientists to engineer super strong beta cells that could be transplanted into patients and survive without the necessity for drugs that compromise the immune system.

Cloaking beta cells

One other issue is protecting cells which have been transplanted. T-cells will discover and attack the transplanted cells just because it did with the unique cells – so how will we keep the brand new cells protected?

Agudo explained that one option is hiding them. One strategy is known as encapsulation, which provides transplanted cells with a physical barrier that forestalls immune cells from reaching them. The downside here is the barrier could make the exchange of nutrients and oxygen harder, in addition to prevent the insulin the cells create from entering into the blood.

Other research suggests an “immune cloaking” strategy where islets are engineered to cover from or be unrecognized by immune cells that will normally goal them as foreign objects.

“They turn into invisible, hide in plain sight, and now they’ll survive,” Agudo said.

Using gut bacteria as a vaccine

Evidence from studies suggests that the gut microbiome is a key component in the event of type 1 diabetes.

Aleksandar Kostic, assistant professor of microbiology at Harvard Medical School and investigator on the Joslin Diabetes Center, discussed his research around using microbial antigens (invading microbes or foreign substances) to develop a vaccine for type 1 diabetes.

Existing research supports the concept of vaccines against viruses that live within the digestive tract like Coxsackievirus B, which is regarded as a consider developing type 1 diabetes. Recent animal studies have also been investigating a Salmonella-based vaccine to stop and possibly even reverse diabetes. Kostic’s research has focused on vaccinating against one other microbial antigen called poly-N-acetyl glucosamine, which can result in protection against the condition.

“We’ve began developing this as therapy for type 1 diabetes,” Kostic said. “We’re finding vaccination with this antigen can halt diabetes in mice.”

Researchers like Kostic and Agudo are a part of the ADA’s Pathway to Stop Diabetes program, which provides scientists with grants and resources to speed up and transform diabetes research.

“It might sound like science fiction however it isn’t, it’s happening,” Agudo said. “We’re on the very starting, however it’s really an exciting moment.”

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