Within each of us lies an army of cells whose topmost duty is protecting against external pathogens and internal threats such as proliferating cancer cells. Yet, immune cells can sometimes erroneously attack the body, causing autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes. Texas A&M researchers recently received an RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a strategy to deliver immune-suppressing proteins generally produced by specialized stem cells.
Such an approach could potentially help reduce the immune system's attack on the insulin-producing beta-cells in the pancreas and open doors to a novel treatment for type 1 diabetes. "We are excited that the NIH will be supporting us in our research in this area, which has implications for not just type 1 diabetes but also other autoimmune diseases," said Dr. Roland Kaunas, associate professor in the biomedical engineering department and a grant award recipient.
According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report, 35 per 10,000 youths in the United States have diabetes, of which 304,000 have type 1 diabetes. Currently, the only approved treatment for the condition is lifelong insulin therapy. However, there is ongoing research investigating new therapeutics and approaches to treating this and other autoimmune diseases.
For example, cell-based therapies, wherein immune cells or stem cells are genetically altered to produce immune-suppressing products, are an area of active investigation. However, these interventions h.