The PROTECT Study
Let’s face it, there are a lot of research studies out there, and we mean… a lot. But one you should definitely know about is The PROTECT Study. Especially if you or a loved one was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
The PROTECT Study aims to understand how the investigational medicine, teplizumab, works in children and young adults who have recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D), as well as assessing if there are any side effects while taking the medication. This treatment is still being evaluated in clinical studies and has not been approved by the FDA for treating T1D. In previous studies of high-risk individuals, teplizumab was shown to delay the onset of T1D an average of nearly three years (35 months).
Who is eligible for the study?
This study will include 300 children and adolescents in clinics across the United States, Canada and Europe that meet the following criteria:
- Age 8-17 years old
- Diagnosed with T1D in the previous six weeks
- Positive for one of five T1D autoantibodies (test to be done as part of the study) 4. Ability to produce a minimum amount of your own insulin (test to be done as part of the study)
- Otherwise generally healthy, with no other significant medical conditions, recent or history of infections, or taking medicines that might interfere with teplizumab
If you meet all the criteria, the next step is to visit a study clinic, where the study team will: • Discuss the study in more detail and explain what participation would mean for you or your child. • Talk through the potential benefits and risks of being involved in the study. • Ask questions and carry out medical tests to determine whether you or your child are right for the study and the study is right for you or your child.
If you and/or your child are interested in potentially participating in the PROTECT study, CLICK HERE to find a study clinic near you.
Before the study begins, you/and your child must agree to and sign an Informed Consent Form which explains the study in detail, any potential risks or benefits of participation, as well as your rights and responsibilities as a participant of the study.
All study-related treatment and care will be provided to eligible patients without charge; however, patients will not receive any compensation for their participation in the study. Patients who decide to participate are able to withdraw from the study at any time for any reason.
Participants do not have to change their primary doctors as the study provides short-term study-related care only. Patients are encouraged to tell their regular doctors about taking part in a clinical research study. Some medicines are prohibited to take while part of the study so a patient’s doctor may want to contact the study physician to request additional information.
How does it work?
If you/or your child are selected to be part of this study, you/your child will be placed in one of two groups, either the teplizumab group or the placebo group (meaning you/your child will receive no treatment). Deciding who will be placed in each group is chosen at random by a computerized system, and neither you/your child nor the study doctor will know which treatment group you/your child was placed in. This is done so that results from the different groups can be handled the same way.
Over the duration of the study, you/your child will receive two courses of study medicine given by intravenous (IV) infusion. The IV infusion usually lasts about 30 minutes and will be given daily over 12 days on two separate occasions, six months apart.
The study will last just over a year and a half (the study reports the study will last up to 84 weeks) and require 36 study clinic visits, including the initial screening, treatment courses and observation periods.
During visits to the study clinic, you/your child will be asked several questions and perform a series of study-related medical tests. These tests are done in order to understand how the treatment is affecting you/your child and how well the body is responding to the medication.
Identifiable information (for instance, name or address) will not be accessible to anyone who is not directly part of this study; additionally, The Sponsor (the company carrying out the study) will not have access to any personal information that is submitted through the study’s website.
Why?
The treatment works by interfering with the cells that destroy the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. If the treatment successfully interferes with these cells (T cells) patients who are taking teplizumab may be able to continue producing their own insulin and reduce their need for insulin injections, have better control over their blood glucose and experience fewer complications from T1D.
Visit theprotectstudy.com to learn more about PROTECT.
This content was produced as part of a partnership between Beyond Type 1 and Provention Bio, an active partner of Beyond Type 1 at the time of publication.
