Type 1 diabetes is a devastating life-long condition. It is autoimmune and frequently occurs in predisposed young adults. Chronic therapy is insulin use via multiple daily injections or insulin-pump; in addition to intensive lifestyle modifications.
The best management of type 1 diabetes is proactive prevention or elimination rather than reactive insulin usage. The current study addresses this very point. A group of 76 participants at high-risk for DM1 was randomized to receive teplizumab or placebo. The presence of autoantibodies to various entities such as GAD65, MicroIns, IA2, ICA, and ZnT8 defined the high-risk status.
Investigators followed subjects for six years. Remarkably at any point in time; teplizumab prevented the development of type 1 diabetes by about 60%. The annual rate of diagnosed diabetes was 16% vs. 39% in those treated with and without teplizumab.
Teplizumab is an immune modulator via CD3 co-receptor pathway. Treated patients experienced a higher rate of adverse events in the form of rash and temporary reduction in lymphocyte count.
I anticipate that further intense research on the subject will yield even higher rates of prevention in predisposed individuals. Family history and biochemical screening of patients would be parament. Stay tuned for similar research results as the DM1-prevention space is blossoming.
GT