Reversal of type 1 diabetes possible through century-old vaccine
pharmafile | June 14, 2017 | News story | Research and Development | BCG, Type 1 diabetes, Vaccine, diabetes
The American Diabetes Association 77th Scientific Sessions closed yesterday and one of the most interesting pieces of research to emerge was the work by Denise Faustman, alongside her team. They have been researching the potential for the BCG therapy to reverse advanced type 1 diabetes.
The interim-report that Faustman released showed that the BCG vaccine was able to repair the regulatory function of T cells (Tregs) that manage the body’s immune reaction. This is important in the treatment of type 1 diabetes, as this condition occurs when the immune system attacks insulin-secreting islets in the pancreas. Tregs are able to halt this behaviour and this is why they have become a target for researchers.
The BCG vaccine was first used in humans in 1921 and has a long history of being safe for human use. It is currently used to prevent the development of tuberculosis and in the treatment of bladder cancer. The research found that repeated doses of the vaccine were able to induce a permanent gene expression that restored Tregs to normal function.
“BCG is interesting because it brings into play so many areas of immunology that we as a community have been looking at for decades, including Tregs and the hygiene hypothesis,” said Faustman. “Repeat BCG vaccination appears to permanently turn on signature Treg genes, and the vaccine’s beneficial effect on host immune response recapitulates decades of human co-evolution with myocbacteria, a relationship that has been lost with modern eating and living habits.”
The results were published from a five-year, Phase 1 study of the beneficial effects of the vaccination in type 1 diabetes. The study built on previous research in mice that displayed reversal of type 1 diabetes.
The same researchers have already instigated a Phase 2 trial, involving 150 people, to further determine the benefits of the BCG vaccine. The research has been the subject of philanthropic funding, as the vaccine involved is so old and with so much safety data that, if results can be confirmed, it should be relatively quick and inexpensive to treat individuals.
Ben Hargreaves
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