Journal
CURRENT OPINION IN ENDOCRINOLOGY DIABETES AND OBESITY
Volume 18, Issue 4, Pages 235-240Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1097/MED.0b013e32834803ae
Keywords
autoimmunity; diabetes; islet antigens; therapies
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Funding
- National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Juvenile Diabetes Foundation [17-2010-744]
- Brehm Coalition, and the Children's Diabetes Foundation
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Purpose of review To update on the clinical trials using antigen-specific therapies in autoimmune diabetes. Recent findings Type 1 diabetes is now a predictable disease with the measurement of islet autoantibodies, and the incidence is increasing dramatically. Well tolerated and effective interventions are needed to stop the underlying autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells. Beta-cell antigens, insulin and glutamic acid decarboxylase, are being used to preserve endogenous insulin production in individuals with new-onset diabetes and to prevent diabetes. The results of antigen-specific immune intervention trials are reviewed and consideration is given to future directions for inducing tolerance in type 1 diabetes. Summary Antigen-specific immune therapies act by enhancing regulatory T cell function, in animal models often locally and selectively in islets or pancreatic lymph nodes while inhibiting effector T cells. This therapeutic pathway provides a safe treatment to preserve beta cell function in new-onset diabetic individuals with the GAD-Alum vaccine being the most extensively studied therapy. Insulin is being used in many forms to prevent diabetes and stop the underlying autoimmune process. For the future, combination immune therapies targeting different pathways in the immune system will be needed to effectively induce sustained tolerance in type 1 diabetes.
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