Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects millions of people across the globe. It occurs when the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.

As a result, the patient has to rely on artificial insulin injections to regulate their blood sugar levels. However, this treatment approach only manages the symptoms and does not address the underlying cause of the disease. That is why researchers are exploring a novel approach known as immunotherapy to treat Type 1 diabetes.

What is immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is a type of medical treatment that boosts the body’s natural immune response to target and destroy cancer cells or diseased cells.

The therapy uses substances that either stimulate the immune system or by reactivating immune cells that have been suppressed by the disease.

How does immunotherapy work in treating diabetes?

In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, resulting in a deficiency of insulin.

Scientists are exploring if immunotherapy can be used to stop this attack and preserve the remaining beta cells.

One form of immunotherapy being studied is antigen-specific immunotherapy.

This approach involves introducing a small fragment of the beta cell to the immune system to retrain it to distinguish the healthy cells from the damaged ones and stop attacking them. Clinical trials have shown that this therapy can help to preserve beta cell function.

Another form of immunotherapy is monoclonal antibody therapy. This involves using antibodies that target and neutralize the immune cells that attack the beta cells.

The FDA has approved the use of monoclonal antibodies called anti-CD3 agents, which have shown promise in preventing the worsening of the disease and preserving beta cell function.

Success stories

Several clinical trials have shown the potential of immunotherapy in treating Type 1 diabetes.

In 2019, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, reported in the journal Nature Medicine that a single-dose of the immunotherapy drug Teplizumab delayed the onset of the disease in high-risk individuals by an average of two years.

Another study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine by researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, a German research center, found that immune cells known as regulatory T cells could reverse Type 1 diabetes in mice.

The researchers used a gene therapy technique to engineer regulatory T cells and transfer them into the mice. After treatment, the mice showed improved glucose tolerance, restoration of insulin production, and reversal of the autoimmune attack on their beta cells.

Challenges to immunotherapy for Type 1 diabetes

Despite these promising results, there are still several challenges to using immunotherapy to treat Type 1 diabetes. One of the major challenges is that the therapy is expensive and requires extended hospitalization.

The high cost of the therapy may limit its availability to patients who cannot afford it.

Another challenge is that Type 1 diabetes is a complex condition, and it is likely to require multiple immunotherapies to manage properly.

Identifying the right combination of therapies to target the different aspects of the disease and developing personalized treatment plans for each patient is a difficult task.

Conclusion

Immunotherapy is a promising approach to treating Type 1 diabetes, and ongoing research is shedding more light on the potential of this therapy.

Although challenges remain, researchers hope that immunotherapy could be a viable alternative to traditional insulin therapy and provide patients with a better quality of life. As more clinical trials for immunotherapy are carried out, we may see more effective treatments to manage Type 1 diabetes and, potentially, a cure.