Nose spray vaccine for type 1 diabetes could be a reality soon

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJun 13 2011

Melbourne researchers are nearing the development of a vaccine for type 1 diabetes, after showing that a nasal spray can stop the body's immune system from attacking insulin-producing cells.

According to Walter and Eliza Hall Institute immunologist Professor Len Harrison this is an exciting finding and it provided the first proof the treatment worked in humans. He added that the spray markedly suppressed the immune response to insulin in 52 new type 1 diabetes patients, in a study published in the journal Diabetes.

He explained that the spray is not intended as a treatment for people who already have diabetes but the results showed researchers were on the right track to developing a vaccine. They are testing the nasal spray in young people with a family history of type 1 diabetes who have developed antibodies for the disease. This new vaccine stimulated the immune response in the lining of the nose and if a nasal spray were shown to work to prevent diabetes, vaccines could be developed for other autoimmune diseases feel researchers. He said, “This is the first time anyone has shown that this novel vaccine approach can change the immune response.”

Co-author Dr Spiros Fourlanos, of Royal Melbourne Hospital, said the finding was extremely encouraging. This technique also could be used for other auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 150,000 Australians, is a condition where the body's immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Sufferers need daily insulin injections to help their bodies convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. Prof Harrison said diabetes cost the Australian health system about $600 million each year. “The cost of type 1 diabetes, in personal, social and public health terms is enormous,” he said. The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report shows type 1 diabetes has increased in young people by 41 per cent in the past decade. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and premature death.