According to the World Health Organization, there are 422 million people with diabetes globally, with some estimating that the figure will reach 700 million by 2045. Researchers worldwide are working to find new treatment options for diabetes patients and hopefully cure it before we reach the 700 million mark. Below are several new developments happening in research labs in the United States and around the world.
The drug Tirzepatide has a surprising and lifesaving side effect. The new drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes is helping patients lose never-before-seen amounts of weight. The drug works on two naturally occurring hormones that help control blood sugar and are involved in sending fullness signals from the gut to the brain. In.a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that some participants lost as much as 21 percent of their body weight. To read more about the study, click here.
A study presented at the JUN ENDO 2022 annual meeting revealed PEC-Direct, an investigative stem cell-based therapy that is designed as a replacement pancreas, has the potential to provide blood sugar control in patients with high-risk type 1 diabetes. The study found multiple patients using the new treatment had increases in C-peptide, a substance made in the pancreas along with insulin. Researchers believe the more C-peptide, the more insulin is produced in the body. For more information, click here.
Research continues at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute on VX-880, and it may pave the way for a breakthrough treatment of type 1 diabetes. VX-880 is an investigational stem cell-derived, fully differentiated pancreatic islet cell replacement therapy for people with T!D. If you remember, VX-880 produced robust restoration of islet cell function on day 90 in the first patient. The trial was put on hold for a few months, but on July 5th, the FDA clinical hold was lifted. As a result, the trial is being reopened for screening, enrollment, and dosing at multiple sites in the United States. To read more on the update, click here.
Scientists in Australia have discovered a new pathway to the regeneration of insulin in pancreatic stem cells that could mean a breakthrough toward new therapies for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. By using the pancreas stem cells of a type 1 diabetic donor, researchers were able to reactivate them to become insulin-expressing and functional beta-like cells. To read more about this study, click here.
