IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES SAFE, PROMISING, IN SMALL STUDY

Medscape (Science) - Proinsulin peptide immunotherapy, used much like allergy desensitization, is safe and shows signs of dampening autoimmunity in patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, according to results of a study published onlineAugust 9 in Science Translational Medicine. Immune-mediated loss of beta-cell mass and function continues after diagnosis in most patients with type 1 diabetes. Researchers have proposed using immunotherapy to quell underlying autoimmunity by awakening or restoring regulatory T cells. One way to do that is with antigen-specific immunotherapy. The strategy introduces short peptides that are part of the epitopes of major autoantigens. This approach, called peptide immunotherapy (PIT), is being tested to treat allergies and autoimmune inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis and celiac disease... >>>