Say what?! :)

1

So this has been floating around and many people have been emailing me this? Still I like this link a lot http://www2.massgeneral.org/diabetes/diabeteslaboratory_programtocure.htm... for once think i'll stay positive towards this link. What you guys think?

2

Really love this part of the article - (can be achieved in as little as 3-5 years)

3

Dr. Faustman out of Mass General is currently trying to raise money for Phase 2 (?) FDA clinical trials. She's using the drug that is the TB vaccine, which has been round forever, hence no way to make billions of $$ on it. So she has to find her own funding, instead of going through a pharma company. The trials are looking promising, but from what I can tell, the hold up is getting enough money to do Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials?

4

3-5 years!! wow this sounds promising!!

5

I am not really that optimistic. Been hearing about "the cure" for years and it has yet to happen. I think even Dr. Faustman is pretty cautious about this being a potential cure for T1D. I read somewhere that she mentioned this may not be "the cure," but perhaps something that can augment current treatments by restoring some beta cell function in T1s. I think her research has demonstrated that this vaccine (BCG) provides some temporary restoration of beta cell function, but not necessarily enough to make a T1 insulin-dependent diabetic able to survive for an extended period without injecting insulin. What the BCG vaccine might be able to do is help us achieve better control, kind of like when we go through the honeymoon period. Personally, I would see that as significant progress. I don't mind taking insulin (I really don't!) but I hate how my BGs bounce back and forth all over the place. If something helped me achieve better control with no side effects, I would be quite happy!

I definitely agree that some of the issues she's run into with her research have to do with the fact that this is not a vaccine that is going to benefit big pharma. Her research applies to T1s, and we are a pretty small market overall. All the current developments out there (including the artificial pancreas project) have applications for both T1s and T2s, a much larger market.

6

I hate to say this, but I found her latest paper to be very discouraging. Here is a link if you want to read it: FAUSTMAN

And here is a link to someone who blogs about T1 who reported on the results she reported, who was similarly underwhelmed: LEVY