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March 24, 2006

The Holy Grail

No, I'm not talking about a medieval legend and I'm not going to use the "c-word". However, three groups of scientists report that they independently replicated a controversial finding: severely diabetic mice can recover on their own if researchers squelch an immune system attack that is causing the disease. This is an important finding published here by the New York Times.

It is a discovery that was first published in 2001 and raised the hopes of people with Type 1 diabetes, which usually occurs in puberty and afflicts an estimated half-million to a million Americans. If the findings applied to humans, they might mean reversing a disease that had seemed incurable.

Even better, the potential treatment is not based on embryonic stem cell research, a controversial (and unproven) medical technology that involves the destruction of human life:The findings also gave rise to questions about using embryonic stem cells as replacement cells for diabetics, a method that is the focus of intense interest. If it is possible, in mice, for the pancreas to cure itself, and if the same finding holds true in humans -- which, so far, is entirely unknown -- adding embryonic stem cells as the source of new pancreas cells might provide little added benefit, if any.

The investigators of the reported study treated diabetic mice by injecting them with Freund's Complete Adjuvant, a mixture of water, oil and parts of dead bacteria. It overstimulates the immune system cells that are attacking the pancreas, making those white blood cells self-destruct, effectively stopping the attack and allowing the pancreas to cure itself.

Dr. John Buse, director of the Diabetes Care Center at the University of North Carolina, urged caution.

"There are two possibilities," Dr. Buse said. "This treatment works for mice but no derivation of it will ever work for humans. Or this is the paradigm leap that is necessary to find the cure for Type 1 diabetes."

Of course, all the convential disclaimers apply - years away, etc.. However, if billions are being spent on embryonic stem cell research on the basis of speculation, what kind of resources should be put behind this technology with provides hope based on substance?

Posted by Diabetologica at March 24, 2006 12:24 PM