Immunotherapies

WRITTEN BY: BT1 Editorial Team

2020-03-24

This resource on Type 1 Diabetes Research was created in partnership with JDRF, an active partner of Beyond Type 1 at the time of publication, through the JDRF – Beyond Type 1 Alliance.

In people living with type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system mistakes the insulin-producing beta cells as foreign objects and attacks them. Over time, people with type 1 diabetes are left with none of these beta cells, and therefore cannot produce their own insulin.

But what would happen if we could stop this immune response that attacks beta cells? This is the focus of immunotherapy research into curing type 1 diabetes. Current research is looking

how to prevent the immune system from attacking the islet cells in the first place
ways of slowing down or stopping the autoimmune response once it has begun in recently-diagnosed patients still in the honeymoon phase
how to stop the immune system from attacking implanted beta cells in conjunction with beta cell therapy

Ultimately, a biological cure for type 1 diabetes will likely involve a combination of beta cell therapy and immunotherapy, to both restore functioning beta cells, as well as protect them from the autoimmune response.

A Deeper Look at Immunotherapy Research with Jessica Dunne

Jessica Dunne is a Senior Director of Research at JDRF, focusing on prevention of type 1 diabetes. Recently she spoke with Beyond Type 1 about what it means to prevent T1D, the importance of populatio...MORE