source:- timesnownews
New Delhi: In a significant development towards diabetes treatment and prevention, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and their colleagues at Tampere University and University of Jyväskylä in Finland have developed a vaccine against viruses linked to type 2 diabetes. Research has shown that certain virus infections may play a part in autoimmune attack that results in the development of type 1 diabetes. The major discovery came amid global race to find a cure for coronavirus that has resulted in an unprecedented public health crisis.
Currently, there’s no definitive way to prevent type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes as it’s usually diagnosed in children, teens and young adults. However, the condition can be managed through a combination of medications and lifestyle changes.
Vaccine may offer protection against type 1 diabetes
According to the study published in the scientific journal Science Advances, coxsackievirus B (CVB) enteroviruses are common human pathogens known to cause severe diseases such as myocarditis, chronic dilated cardiomyopathy, and aseptic meningitis. These viruses are also hypothesised to be a causal factor in type 1 diabetes. No vaccine is available yet for CVBs, which comprises of six strains that can also cause the common cold.
Epidemiological studies suggest that CVBs could be a pathogenic contributor. Autopsy observations also indicate that CVBs might be involved in the development of type 1 diabetes. However, this remains hypothetical and more research is required to prove the connection – though this hypothesis is a well-established amongst diabetes researchers.
In the current research, the team at Karolinska Institutet and their colleagues at Tampere University and University of Jyväskylä in Finland produced a vaccine that protects against all six known strains of CVB. Tests conducted in different animal models showed that the vaccine can protect mice infected with CVB from developing virus-induced type 1 diabetes.
The vaccine was tested in rhesus monkeys that have very similar genetics to humans. The researchers observed that the vaccine produced encouraging results and induced antibodies to CVB, suggesting it could protect against the virus.
“The results give important scientific support to an ongoing clinical development program aiming at testing a similar commercial vaccine in humans,” says Professor Heikki Hyöty from Tampere University who participates in the clinical development program, which is carried out by an American pharmaceutical company in collaboration with a Finnish biotech company.
The team now plans to test the vaccine on children with a genetic risk profile for type 1 diabetes, assuming that the medication is safe in initial clinical trials. According to the researchers, CVBs can be confirmed as a triggering environmental factor if the number of children that develop type 1 diabetes decreases after vaccination or if none develop the condition.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Doctors don’t know what causes type 1 diabetes, however, genetic and environmental factors, including viruses, may play a role
- Researchers have now developed a vaccine against certain viruses that may play a role in this condition
- They found that the new vaccine produced antibodies to coxsackievirus B
“Our hope is that these trials will show that this kind of vaccine is effective against CVB infections and can be administered to children,” said Malin Flodström-Tullberg, professor of type 1 diabetes at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, and the study’s corresponding author.
“It would be fantastic if we could prevent the cases of type 1 diabetes that we currently suspect are caused by Coxsackievirus, although the exact number is difficult to estimate. At the same time, the vaccine would give protection against myocarditis, which can have a severe course in both children and adults, and against some types of colds, which regularly keep many away from school and work.”
Type 1 diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune disease, although the exact cause is still unknown. Here, the pancreas produces little or no insulin – a hormone that helps blood sugar to enter cells to produce energy. Without insulin, blood sugar can’t get into your cells, resulting in high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar can lead to a range of symptoms and complications.