The vaccine for tuberculosis Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) was discovered over a century ago. But now, this same vaccine has shown to have a potential to become a Type 1 Diabetes vaccine.Currently, the tuberculosis vaccine is used to treat ACS, and according to experts it is completely safe.
At the 75th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, there was an announcement that FDA (Food and Drug Administration) will test this vaccine to 150 diabetics. These people had an advanced stage of type 1 Diabetes.
The immune system of a person with type 1 Diabetes destroys the cells which produce insulin, so the body is not able to produce this substance.
Instead, there’s a production of T cells, and this vaccine works by eliminating these cells in that area.
After injecting with the vaccine, the diabetes patients were noted with raised TNF (tumor necrosis factor). The raised TNF kills the T cells which are hampering the body’s production of insulin.
In the trial, patients received this vaccine 2 times in a period of 4 weeks. According to the results, T cells were gone, some of which have even started producing insulin without any supplements.
There’s a new trial coming which will use the same format as the previous one, on people at the age between 18 and 60. The subjects will be injected with the vaccine twice in a period of 4 weeks, and then once a year for a 4-year time span.
The Diabetes Care journal has published the results of a past study which analyzed the effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) on kids with diabetes at the age between 5 and 18. The results showed that the BCG vaccine doesn’t keep the beta-cell function or raise the remission rate in kids.
Via University Herald | To Happy Life
