Earlier this month, JDRF participated in the American Diabetes Association’s 72nd Scientific Sessions (held June 8th through 12th in Philadelphia). This conference, held annually, brings together over 13,000 members of the international diabetes community, including scientific researchers, health care providers and people living with diabetes. JDRF representatives staffed a booth in the exhibition hall and received more than 300 visitors eager for information on our scientific research and resources and materials.
JDRF also co-hosted one of the conferences’ many scientific sessions, “Antigen-Specific Tolerance in T1D”. Dr. Richard Insel, JDRF’s Chief Scientific Officer, and Dr. Mark Peakman from King’s College in London moderated the session, which included presentations from four JDRF-funded researchers on the research they are conducting in the area of antigen-specific therapies. Antigen-specific therapies are therapies for the immune system that target only the antigens involved in T1D, an approach which may minimize the side effects associated with broad suppression of the immune system.
Dr. Santamaria spoke about his research on nanoparticle vaccines, which use microscopic particles coated with T1D specific antigens to boost the actions of regulatory T cells that can suppress the autoimmune attack on the pancreas that causes T1D. The vaccines tested in his laboratory were over 90% successful in restoring normal levels of blood sugar, insulin secretion and glucose tolerance in mice with diabetes.
Dr. Miller’s presentation covered the role of antigen-specific tolerance strategies in both autoimmunity and islet transplantation (encouraging the transplant recipient’s immune system to “tolerate” the new islets and prevent rejection of the transplant). His approach has progressed to early stage clinical trials for the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis. JDRF is currently funding T1D research in animals based on these concepts where the timing and sequence of antigen-specific treatments is critical.
Dr. Simell discussed clinical trials of nasal insulin to produce immune tolerance and prevent type 1 diabetes in children at high genetic risk of developing the disease. The nasal insulin clinical trial at the DIPP sites in Finland failed to demonstrate that nasal insulin was effective in preventing T1D, but the similar INIT II study in Australia and New Zealand is ongoing and researchers are hoping for a positive outcome by using a different protocol.
Dr. Tarbell’s presentation discussed the use of dendritic cells in antigen-specific tolerance (research funded by JDRF while Dr. Tarbell was at Rockefeller University). Dendritic cells are a specialized type of cell in the immune system that play a role in determining the type of immune response that develops. Dr. Tarbell is exploring targeting tolerogenic dendritic cells (dendritic cells that induce tolerance in the immune system) with vaccines to increase regulatory immune cells to prevent the development of the autoimmune response that leads to T1D.
Stay tuned for future blog entries about some of the other exciting JDRF research announcements from the ADA Scientific Sessions.