The Final Puzzle of Type 1 Diabetes Solved

Finally scientists have revealed a complete picture of the areas where the immune system attacks to create type 1 diabetes.

The journal Diabetes published the study. The study discovered the fifth and final critical target where the immune system takes aim.

To prevent and treat the disease the findings could help develop new ways. The team at the University of Lincoln said it.

According to Diabetes UK, the study results were “impressive”.

In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells which make insulin are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is the hormone which is needed to keep blood sugar levels under control.

Studies were conducted looking at the unique antibodies which is made by patients with type 1 diabetes. The studies showed that the immune system attacked five key targets.

But to understand the targets was like identifying someone from their silhouette.

Some of the targets were discovered by studies long ago. However, the final target has proved elusive for two decades.

Dr. Michael Christie who led the research at the University of Lincoln, told the BBC that with the new discovery, they had finished identifying what the immune system was targeting. Now they have the complete picture.

The final piece of puzzle is tetraspanin-7. The other targets are: Insulin, Glutamate decarboxylase, IA-2 and Zinc transporter-8.

In secreting or storing the hormone insulin the more technically named ones are largely involved.

King’s College London has already used the knowledge of some of these targets. They are aiming to stall the progression of type-1 diabetes.

But according to Dr. Christie, having the complete picture could help transform care for type 1 patients.

He said that once the immune system decided it wanted to get rid of something it was very hard to stop. He also said that diabetes had proved to be a difficult disease to prevent.

So they are hoping that by identifying the major targets in diabetes-1, they will be able to find ways to prevent it by blocking the immune response to the five proteins without leaving that person vulnerable to infections.

Dr. Christie added that with recent improvements in their understanding of the disease he was very hopeful. They will develop a treatment now. He has a lot more confidence than five years ago.

Dr. Emily Burns from the charity Diabetes UK, said that in order to prevent type 1 diabetes, they needed to understand it fully how the immune responded that damages insulin-producing cells developed in the first place. Dr. Christie’s impressive research was helping them to do that.