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Trials for Type 1 Diabetes Cure

Posted by michael on from the avoid-sugary-foods dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to this New York Times article, the pharmaceutical companies and NIH are shunning research for a cure for Type 1 diabetes. There's no money in a cure using medicine with an expired patent. Dr Faustman (researcher/professor at Harvard Medical School) has cured type 1 diabetes in mice and has been approved for Phase 1 clinical trials in humans. The only problem is raising the money, which Lee Iacocca is helping with."

4 of 66 comments (clear)

  1. Non-NYT article link by vslashg · · Score: 5, Informative

    The NYT must be cracking down; the first dozen logins from bugmenot.com didn't work for me.

    No problem, I found a copy of the NYT article on Lee Iacocca's page. (Hopefully the server holds up.) Enjoy.

  2. Re:public health care by psyconaut · · Score: 4, Informative

    Unfortunately, our medicare system is in a bit of a mess right now. Sorting out things like waiting lists for MRIs and non-elective surgery are big priorities.

    Money for pure research projects up here is few and far between (although I'm not saying it's non-existent -- research at hospitals like Sick Kids in Toronto is excellent).

    But, agreed...it'd sure be nice if someone took up the gauntlet and pursued a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

    -psy

  3. Much to early for any conclusion by xplenumx · · Score: 4, Informative

    As an Immunologist - I can't even begin to count the number of times we've cured RA (EAE), GvHD, various forms of cancer, etc. in mice, only to have the 'cure' fail, or even make the disease worse, in patients.

  4. Re:RTFA by waterbear · · Score: 4, Informative

    TheLink wrote "Read the article again till the end."

    I suggest reading the literature on the subject as well. It is well known that immune destruction starts off IDDM, but there is no evidence -- including regard to what is reported in the article -- that immune suppression revives beta-cells in patients who have none left. I.e. the large majority of humans with IDDM have long since lost all their beta cells to the destructive process that has run its course, and there is no bringing those cells back from the dead.

    And I stick to what I said about the big bad pharma angle being mixed up too. If a drug or combination of drugs has a surprising new effect then patent protection is likely to be available on the usual conditions no matter how much noise to the contrary is made on /. If this is a useful new application of BCG there is no rule nowadays that stops a patent for the new use.

    -wb-