Here is an excerpt from Diabetes.co.uk

A new partnership between type 1 diabetes research organisation the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and InnoCentive, Inc, a leader in open innovation and crowdsourcing, has announced a USD100,000 challenge for the development of insulin drug treatment.

The challenge is focused on producing new ideas for glucose-responsive insulin drugs, to help treat insulin-dependent diabetes patients and improve the quality of their life. The partnership hope to produce a breakthrough in the search for an innovative and transformative insulin drug that would improve the management of glucose levels and lower or get rid of having to test blood glucose levels, as well as reducing the risk of diabetic complications.

Read more about this partnership

Technorati Tags: diabetes, research, type 1 diabetes

There are genuine prospects for a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Tests using mice have indicated the possibility that a BCG vaccine, which is normally used to prevent Tuberculosis, might provide the answer.

The drug works by destroying abnormal blood cells in the pancreas which obstruct the production of insulin.

In the mouse study, mice suffering from diabetes and with about two weeks to live were completely cured.

Human clinical trials are about to start in Massachusetts General hospital in Boston, America. There could be useful feedback within just a few months.

Trials are also to take place at Kings College, London and Bristol University.

BCG is a drug for which there is extensive knowledge since it has been tried and tested for over 80 years.

This means that any future treatment could be quite cheap.

There are suggestions that a cure may be available within 4 years, although care will be needed because of the risk of an immune reaction. 

Technorati Tags: diabetes, diabetes cure, type 1 diabetes