\u201cCITY OF HOPE SETS NEW GOAL FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES CURE<\/a> A recent grouping of donations totaling $50 million is outstanding, those in the trenches with diabetes said. But only six years to a cure? Really? You lost us there, some claimed.<\/p>\n
Dr. Bart Roep, Ph.D., director of the program, now known as the Wanek Family Project at City of Hope, understands that view.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people give up [on hope for a cure], and I respect that,\u201d he said. He admits, too, that six years is a goal, not a promise. \u201cI cannot be confident in the six years,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I knew what was needed to do that, I\u2019d do it on one year.\u201d But, he feels the pathway City of Hope has laid out thanks to the donations leads the diabetes world on a road to better outcomes, and a place that, in six years, will be significantly better than where we are today.<\/p>\n
What the program plans to do is change the entire way we view a \u201ccure,\u201d shifting from a one-size-fits-all method of research and goals to a system of precision medicine; a way to offer individualized and personalized therapies for people with diabetes much in the same way cancer treatment does today.<\/p>\n
The program will draw heavily from a biorepository, something Dr. Roep says will save millions of dollars and many years in helping them embrace the concept of diabetes being unique in almost every individual. Armed with that knowledge they will dig back into human clinical studies that may not have succeeded on a mass scale and look to see if they can help patients on a smaller scale.<\/p>\n
For instance, if a study failed for 70 percent of the participants, it may have held answers for other 30 percent.<\/p>\n
The focus at City of Hope will be threefold: to stop the progression of the disease (something Dr. Roep calls the \u201clow hanging fruit\u201d of the effort), get people off injections for good (something he admits is \u201cmuch more of a challenge but not impossible,\u201d), and preventing, stopping, and reversing complications.<\/p>\nBart O. Roep, Ph.D.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFor stopping progression, Dr. Roep is excited about a vaccination he brought through Phase 1 studies while in the Netherlands. The vaccine takes cells of the patient and mixes them with Vitamin D3, and is believed to be effective in those with diabetes who have the genetic background which occurs in about 70 percent of the diabetes patient population. Contending it can fight the onset and possibly even reverse diabetes, the program plans to launch a Phase 2 study.<\/p>\n
They also want to dig deeper into the concept of beta cell replacement, looking for even more advanced therapies than the encapsulation models in human trials now. First, Dr. Roep stated that they want to focus more on the newer knowledge that many people with Type 1 (even those who’ve lived with Type 1 for many years) still have beta cells. \u201cThey\u2019re hiding; they\u2019re stealth in the body,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we want to see is if we can get them back into action. If we can stop the immune attack, can we do this?\u201d<\/p>\n
He said this would not suppress the immune system (\u201cI love the immune system!\u201d), but rather, would \u201cnegotiate with it (as in the case of allergies) in patients and with a velvet glove.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as beta cell replacement, they will be pursuing a way to protect new beta cells introduced into the body with biological materials; almost a natural wrapper around the cells to allow them to get oxygen and produce and excrete insulin. Instead of encapsulating them, he said, they aim to coat them in a kind of biological immune protective coating.<\/p>\n
One novel way to approach this, Dr. Roep said, is accepting that diabetes is not just an immune disease, but also a beta cell disease. \u201cJust looking at the immune system is not enough,\u201d he said. \u201cWe must look at beta cell health, too. The two are in dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the complications front, the goal will be to study individuals and pinpoint why some are predisposed to complications, then take action from there. \u201cOnce we know who will be most inclined to develop those complications, we can take action for them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
They also want to push the concept of caring for those beta cells hiding in the body of the person with diabetes. \u201cIt shows it pays off to control your blood sugar,\u201d he said. \u201cI know it must be frustrating, but I ask (patients) to please stay chin up and keep working. Preserve those beta cells.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Roep admits there is much to be done, but is champing at the bit to do it. The donation allows researchers to take on more, and move ahead projects they\u2019ve had going on for years. Pointing out that the City of Hope has a stellar record of treating cancer patients with immunology, he feels confident they can do the same for diabetes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to be a pessimist, but I am no longer,\u201d he said, adding that he has known so many diabetes patients and cares deeply about finding better outcomes for them. \u201cSix years, however ambitious it may be, we should be able to offer a cure for at least one patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
And even if they suffer some set backs, he said, there will be progress. \u201cWe will also learn from our failures. It\u2019s tragic but true,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will learn from those and have successes, too. It would be great if there were a magic bullet, but there isn\u2019t. You know, we\u2019ve come a long way in treatment, but 80 percent of people with diabetes cannot be treated to target. We\u2019ve got to do better. We\u2019ve got to find these cures. Because \u2018cure\u2019 in diabetes is a word we are still defining.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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