Dr. Faustman believes that if in the presence of TNF (tumor necrosis factor), the bad T cells that attack the pancreas will die. She is attempting to raise TNF with a safe BCG vaccine used for tuberculosis. Her sample size was incredibly small and her patients didn't require less insulin or go into remission. Still, I think her study may change the course of diabetes research. She is one of the few researchers to attempt to work with patients who have had diabetes for a long period of time. She showed two significant things with her patients. First, the "bad" t-cells died, and, more importantly, the c-peptide levels went up. When insulin is created, it has a part that is broken off called c-peptide. Measuring c-peptide then becomes the gold standard for how much insulin the body creates. Most people have given up on the idea of patients who have had type 1 for more than a year ever producing more insulin than they currently make.
I'm still cautiously hopeful. Most of the therapies I looked at last summer when Kaitlyn's test came back so poorly have failed. Lots of drugs seem to improve c-peptide for awhile, but then they all trail off. Even those that help c-peptide might not improve A1c or reduce insulin use. I think this is still just a small piece of the puzzle. It is a far cry from a cure. However, I'm thankful for every little piece.
No comments:
Post a Comment