Cancer Drugs Find New Role as Insulin Regenerators
Both drugs are already approved by the FDA—they just need to be tested and re-approved as diabetes treatments.
By Adrianna Nine January 12, 2024 https://www.extremetech.com/science/can ... generators
A pair of pharmaceuticals currently used to treat cancer could find its way into some people’s diabetes care regimens. New research led by Australia’s Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute shows that small molecule inhibitors GSK126 and Tazemetostat can be repurposed to stabilize insulin production in people with type 1 diabetes. And because both drugs are already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are fewer questions about their inherent risks.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by inactive or missing β-cells typically found in the pancreas. β-cells are responsible for generating insulin, vital to the body’s ability to turn glucose into energy. Without sufficient “natural” insulin, people with type 1 diabetes must inject themselves with insulin multiple times per day for the rest of their lives. Not only is this inconvenient to manage throughout patients’ day-to-day lives, but it’s also costly, making it difficult for most type 1 patients to maintain the recommended blood sugar levels.
Weight loss injection to be made available in UK within weeks
Thu 25 Jan 2024 19.43 GMT
A new weight loss injection will be available in the UK within weeks to treat thousands of patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity, after the medicines watchdog became the first major regulator in the world to greenlight the drug in a more convenient device.
Mounjaro was developed by the US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. Trials show it helps those on the highest dose lose more than three stone on average. It is injected under the skin of a patient’s stomach area, thigh or upper arm, and is to be used together with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
The drug itself, also known as tirzepatide, won approval for obesity and type 2 diabetes from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) late last year but it has not yet been available due to enormous global demand.
The watchdog has approved a new device for delivering the drug – a four-dose pen branded as KwikPen, covering a month’s treatment – which Eli Lilly said would enable it to supply the drug to the UK within weeks.
The development, announced by the MHRA on Thursday, means there will be an alternative to the weight-loss drug Wegovy, also known as semaglutide, manufactured by the Danish company Novo Nordisk. It has been given to tens of thousands of patients on the NHS but global shortages mean it has been available only to a fraction of those eligible to take it.
Bariatric surgery is more effective than medical and lifestyle modifications for achieving long-term type 2 diabetes control and remission, according to new research led by a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine surgeon-scientist and published in JAMA.
In the largest and longest randomized follow-up study to date, the researchers also found that bariatric surgery improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels more effectively than did medical and lifestyle modifications. Since diabetes and cholesterol are important risk factors for heart disease, the management of both may contribute to fewer heart attacks, strokes and other complications.
"This analysis is the strongest evidence we have to date that bariatric surgery is a safe and effective tool for achieving diabetes control and remission," said lead author Anita Courcoulas, M.D., M.P.H., professor in Pitt's Department of Surgery and chief of the Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery Program at UPMC.
Yogurts can now make limited claim that they lower type 2 diabetes risk, FDA says
Source: CNN Health
Updated 1:52 PM EST, Sat March 2, 2024
CNN — In a decision nearly five years in the making, the US Food and Drug Administration has decided that yogurts can now make a limited claim that the food may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, the federal agency concluded Friday.
The decision marks the first-ever qualified health claim the federal agency has issued for yogurt.
Qualified health claims “are supported by scientific evidence, but do not meet the more rigorous ‘significant scientific agreement’ standard required for an authorized health claim,” according to the FDA. “To ensure that these claims are not misleading, they must be accompanied by a disclaimer or other qualifying language to accurately communicate to consumers the level of scientific evidence supporting the claim.”
In the case of yogurt, the claim states that according to limited scientific evidence, “eating yogurt regularly, at least 2 cups (3 servings) per week,” may reduce risk of the disease that affects about 38 million people in the US and roughly 462 million individuals worldwide.
A genetically modified cow has produced milk containing human insulin, according to a new study. The proof-of-concept achievement could be scaled up to, eventually, produce enough insulin to ensure availability and reduced cost for all diabetics requiring the life-maintaining drug.
Unable to rely on their own supply due to damaged pancreatic cells, type 1 diabetics need injectable insulin to live. As do some type 2 diabetics. The World Health Organization estimates that of those who require insulin, between 150 and 200 million people worldwide, only about half are being treated with it. Access to insulin remains inadequate in many low- and middle-income countries – and some high-income countries – and its cost and unavailability have been well-documented.
In a newly published study led by the Department of Animal Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Universidade de São Paulo, researchers say they may have developed a way of eliminating insulin scarcity and reducing its cost using cows. Yep, cows.
A new study has shown that risk scores based on our genes and gut bacteria can improve the prediction of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer over traditional risk factors alone.
When it comes to the prediction of a person's risk of coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and prostate cancer, combining traditional risk factors that are used by doctors today with new technologies that quantify our genetic risk (polygenic risk scores) and gut bacteria (gut microbiome) resulted in the most powerful predictors of common chronic diseases.
Experimental antibody drug prevents and even reverses diabetes onset
By Michael Irving
May 01, 2024
Scientists have developed a promising new drug that could prevent and even reverse the onset of type 1 diabetes. The experimental monoclonal antibody drug acts like a shield to protect insulin-producing cells from damage, even extending lifespan in some cases.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when a patient’s immune system begins attacking the beta cells in their pancreas. These important cells produce insulin, and without them patients become unable to manage their blood glucose levels, resulting in a lifetime of managing injections and potential health complications.
But in a new study, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have found a potential way to prevent the onset of the disease, or even reverse it in the early stages. Known as mAb43, the new drug is a monoclonal antibody, an experimental therapy that’s showing promise against a range of diseases.
Diabetes rates continue to rise, with 11.7 million Canadians living with diabetes or pre-diabetes. At UBC, scientists have created a pain-free drug delivery method to help people with diabetes manage the disease and maintain their health more easily.
Researchers at the Li Lab have developed oral insulin drops that—when placed under the tongue—are quickly and efficiently absorbed by the body, potentially replacing the need for insulin injections.
The drops contain a mixture of insulin and a unique cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) developed by Dr. Shyh-Dar Li and colleagues.
Potential new treatment option for diabetic retinopathy could address the problem much earlier
by Bonnier Rucker, University of Oklahoma
Patients with diabetes face a host of potential health problems as they work to manage the chronic disease. Still, one concern that seems to weigh heavily is the risk of losing their sight through a condition known as diabetic retinopathy.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences and Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center are studying a new, revolutionary treatment for diabetic retinopathy that could change the prognosis for these patients.
Julia Busik, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of biochemistry and physiology in collaboration with Richard Kolesnick, MD of MSK Cancer Center, published a paper in the journal Cell Metabolism that details how anti-ceramide immunotherapy can address the root cause of the disease and stop progression toward blindness at an earlier stage than previous treatments.
Prediabetes drug puts brakes on progression to type 2 diabetes
By Paul McClure
June 20, 2024
https://newatlas.com/medical/prediabete ... al-trials/
A once-a-day oral drug to treat prediabetes has produced very promising results in human trials, significantly reducing blood glucose levels. The novel drug could prevent or slow the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.
More than one in three American adults has prediabetes, where their blood glucose levels (BGLs) are higher than normal but not high enough to attract a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Not everyone with prediabetes goes on to develop diabetes; early treatment can prevent or delay that progression.
A new prediabetes drug called APHD-012, developed by biopharmaceutical company Aphaia Pharma, has undergone a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate its performance and produced very promising results.
5:2 diet proves better than meds for new diabetics
By Paul McClure
June 24, 2024
Compared to some antidiabetic medications, a 5:2 intermittent diet provides better blood sugar control and weight loss in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics, a new study found. It may be a viable alternative to medications in the early stages of the condition.
Being overweight and obese are significant risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. While losing weight can optimize blood sugar levels and reduce the dosage of prescribed antidiabetic drugs, weight loss can be challenging to achieve and maintain. In a new study, Chinese researchers examined the effect that intermittent fasting utilizing a 5:2 diet had on blood sugar control in overweight type 2 diabetics.
People living with diabetes might have a new hope. Scientists have tested a new drug therapy in diabetic mice, and found that it boosted insulin-producing cells by 700% over three months, effectively reversing their disease.
Beta cells in the pancreas have the important job of producing insulin in response to blood sugar levels, but a hallmark of diabetes is that these cells are either destroyed or can’t produce enough insulin. The most common treatment is regular injections of insulin to manage blood sugar levels.
But a recent avenue of research has involved restoring the function of these beta cells. In some cases that’s started with stem cells being coaxed into new beta cells, which are then transplanted into patients with diabetes. Researchers behind this kind of work have described it as a “functional diabetes cure.”
A study surveying advances in diabetes pathogenesis and treatment explores the complex factors contributing to the onset and progression of the disease, suggesting that an understanding of these dynamics is key to developing targeted interventions to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and managing its complications.
In the paper published July 25 in a special 50th anniversary issue of the journal Cell, the authors surveyed hundreds of studies that have emerged over the years looking at the causes underpinning types 1 (T1D) and 2 (T2D) diabetes and new treatments for the disease.
They examine the role that genes, environmental factors, and social determinants of health play and diabetes' effect on cardiovascular and kidney disease.
Type 1 diabetic dads nearly twice as likely to pass it on to kids
By Paul McClure
July 29, 2024
A type 1 diabetic dad is 1.8 times more likely to pass the condition on to his kids than a type 1 diabetic mom, who, research suggests, confers long-term protection against it. The findings open the door to developing new ways of preventing type 1 diabetes.
In type 1 diabetes (T1D), the body’s immune system attacks the pancreas, resulting in it making little or no insulin. A combination of genetics and environmental factors, such as viruses, is thought to trigger the disease, which usually occurs during childhood but can develop in adults.
Now, a new study, the largest of its kind, led by researchers at Cardiff University and the University of Exeter, both in the UK, has found that children are almost twice as likely to develop T1D when dad has the condition than when mom does. Their results suggest that having T1D while pregnant provides offspring with long-term protection against the condition.
A new study from the University of Eastern Finland is the first in the world to show that a healthy diet and regular exercise reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes even in individuals with a high genetic risk. In other words, everyone benefits from lifestyle changes, regardless of genetic risk.
Type 2 diabetes is a global problem. According to the International Diabetes Federation, IDF, 1 in 11 adults worldwide has diabetes, with type 2 diabetes accounting for 90% of the cases.
To date, researchers have identified more than 500 genetic variants that predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes, but lifestyle factors, too, affect the risk of developing the disease. Significant lifestyle-related risk factors include overweight, low intake of dietary fiber, high intake of saturated fats, and lack of exercise.
Scientists hail ‘smart’ insulin that responds to changing blood sugar levels in real time
Sun 11 Aug 2024 18.00 BST
Scientists have developed a “holy grail” insulin that responds to changing blood sugar levels in real-time and could revolutionise treatment for millions of people with type 1 diabetes worldwide.
Patients currently have to give themselves synthetic insulin up to 10 times a day in order to survive. Constant fluctuation between high and low blood sugar levels can result in short- and long-term physical health issues, and the struggle to keep levels stable can also affect their mental health.
Scientists have found a solution that experts say comes as close to a cure for type 1 diabetes as any drug therapy could: smart insulin that lays dormant in the body and only springs into action when needed. Researchers in the US, Australia and China have successfully designed novel insulins that mimic the body’s natural response to changing blood sugar levels and respond instantly in real time.
Standard insulins stabilise blood sugar levels when they enter the body, but once they have done their job, they typically cannot help with future fluctuations. It means patients often need to inject more insulin again within just a few hours.
The new glucose-responsive insulins (GRIs) only become active when there is a certain amount of sugar in the blood to prevent hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose). They become inactive again when levels drop below a certain point, avoiding hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose). In future, patients may only need insulin once a week, experts believe.
New Stem Cell Therapy Could End Insulin Vigilance for Type 1 Diabetes Patients
The experimental transplant has drastically reduced or eliminated the need for manual insulin injections for 12 patients.
By Adrianna Nine August 28, 2024
A new form of stem cell therapy is helping a handful of Type 1 diabetes patients to produce insulin naturally. Though the treatment is still in early-stage trials, those who have undergone the therapy say that its ability to eliminate blood sugar lows and manual insulin injections is life-changing.
Type 1 diabetes is thought to affect roughly 9 million people worldwide. Though it's possible to lose limbs—and even lives—to Type 1 diabetes, most patients find themselves subjected to a more subtle discomfort: nausea-inducing blood sugar drops, weight fluctuations, daily insulin injections, and constant diet monitoring. It would be an understatement to say that these patterns disrupt patients' daily lives; some people with Type 1 diabetes struggle to get a full night's rest without a blood sugar check or a tap to the insulin pump.
