For those who’ve been recognized with sort 1 diabetes (T1D) inside the final six months — and also you’re between the ages of 12 and 29 years outdated — you must find out about Diamyd Medical’s medical trial. Diamyd’s groundbreaking remedy may assist shield your physique’s pure insulin manufacturing.
Right here’s what it’s essential to know.
What’s Diamyd?
Diamyd was based in Sweden within the Nineteen Nineties by Anders Essen-Moller after his daughter was recognized with T1D at 10 years outdated. Essen-Moller, an govt for a medical enterprise, instantly started touring the world to research ongoing T1D remedy analysis.
He homed in on the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase, or GAD, a spotlight in analysis on the College of California, Los Angeles on the time. GAD is a naturally occurring enzyme produced by the cells in your pancreas that additionally produce insulin. When your immune system assaults these cells, it assaults GAD, too. Essen-Moller licensed GAD growth from UCLA and nonetheless has unique rights to growing GAD therapies in the present day.
Essen-Moller based Diamyd, with the “Dia” coming from the phrase diabetes, “My” from his daughter’s identify, and “D” from the final letter in GAD.
What’s GAD-65?
Over the thirty years, Diamyd has been growing the remedy GAD-65. They’ve already accomplished Section 1 and Section 2 of the medical trial course of.
GAD-65 was developed to guard the cells within the pancreas from autoimmune assaults. By shielding the cells that produce GAD, it additionally preserves insulin manufacturing.
In a nutshell, GAD-65 merely tells your immune system to cease attacking and destroying the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. GAD-65 principally says, “Hey! This enzyme isn’t international. It’s not dangerous. It belongs within the physique. Cease attacking it!”
GAD-65 is taken into account an “immune-modulator” as a result of it does not suppress your immune system. As a substitute, reprograms your immune system. It’s instructing your immune system to behave in another way — which is nice when the immune system is doing ridiculous issues like attacking and destroying the cells that produce insulin.
Diamyd’s part 2 medical trial helped decide that the therapy has an excellent security profile and that it had encouraging results on insulin preservation. Now, onto Section 3: a bigger and longer trial figuring out GAD-65’s efficacy in comparison with conventional therapies, like each day insulin injections.
For those who’ve been just lately recognized with T1D, your physique nonetheless produces an inexpensive quantity of insulin-producing cells, so there’s nonetheless time to intervene and shield these remaining cells. The longer you’ve lived with T1D, the less insulin-producing cells your physique nonetheless makes — if any.
Diamyd states that GAD-65 is the primary “precision medication” therapy in growth for sort 1 diabetes.
GAD-65 is Precision Medication
Precision medication is a comparatively new time period in medication. It describes any remedy concentrating on a selected subgroup of individuals past their prognosis. For instance, in most cancers therapies, precision medication identifies particular therapy plans for particular kinds of most cancers primarily based on the affected person’s genetic make-up. Precision medication is outlined as growing therapies primarily based on the precise particulars of a affected person’s genetics and deeper particulars of the illness.
In Diamyd’s earlier trials, GAD-65 was solely efficient in about 40 % of members. That is when Diamyd’s researchers found that the therapy’s impact was linked to the presence of a really particular gene — a gene that’s present in about 40 to 50 % of individuals with T1D!
The HLA DR3-DQ2 haplotype gene performs a vital position in Diamyd’s remedy. In truth, step one of their medical trial is getting examined for this gene.
Take part in Diamyd’s Trial
Diamyd wants common folks to volunteer for GAD-65’s stage 3 medical trial. For those who qualify, collaborating is comparatively easy:
You would possibly qualify if:
- You have been recognized with sort 1 diabetes inside the final six months.
- You’re between the ages of 12 and 29 years outdated.
- You reside in/close to one of many United States or European clinic websites: examine areas. (Diamyd will cowl your journey bills.)
How the examine works:
- First, you’re screened for primary qualifying standards.
- Then you definately’ll be screened for the HLA DR3-DQ2 haplotype gene.
- Subsequent, you’ll obtain three injections of GAD-65 or the placebo over 2 months.
- You’ll go about your on a regular basis life whereas receiving these injections.
- 67 % of members will obtain GAD-65, with solely 33 % receiving a placebo.
- GAD-65 is run with injections in a lymph node in your groin over the course of a number of months. The injections really feel just like getting your blood drawn at a lab. For those who can deal with an intravenous blood draw, you possibly can deal with injections of GAD-65.
- The follow-up interval after the injections lasts for 22 months.
- All through that 22-month follow-up interval, you’ll have recurring bloodwork accomplished to guage insulin manufacturing, blood glucose ranges, and so on.
Diamyd is only one of many corporations growing life-changing therapies for folks with T1D. It’s thrilling!
