Scientists Achieved a Major Breakthrough in the Fight against Type 1 Diabetes

Scientists achieved a major breakthrough in the fight against Type 1 diabetes by developing a treatment which would save the sufferers from a lifetime of insulin injections.

The new treatment was codenamed DiaPep277. It will block the process which causes the body's immune system to attack the pancreas in people with Type 1 diabetes. The treatment will be available in the markets within three years.

   
In Type 1 diabetes, the patient's faulty immune system targets the pancreas. Without treatment, this causes so much damage that it no longer naturally produces insulin to prevent blood sugar rising to levels that become dangerous. Without regular injections, the patient will fall into a coma and die.
   
    
The scientists stated that in patients newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, the treatment will prevent the disease from developing because it will stop the destruction of vital cells of the pancreas which make insulin.
   
The drug will also allow the patient's body to carry on making its own insulin and allowing their pancreas to recover and make enough to support the body completely.

It will also reduce the risk of side effects linked with synthetic insulin which can mirror diabetes complications such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease that might require a transplant, say the scientists.