A look to the future: prediction, prevention, and cure including islet transplantation and stem cell therapy.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is characterized by the almost complete absence of insulin secretion, which is secondary to an autoimmune destruction or dysfunction of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. Because T1DM is an autoimmune disease with a long preclinical course, the predictive testing of individuals before the clinical onset of the disease has provided a real opportunity for the identification of risk markers and the design of therapeutic intervention. With such a high degree of predictability using a combination of immunologic markers, strategies to prevent T1DM may become possible. A number of novel therapeutic strategies are under investigation in newly diagnosed T1DM patients and might ultimately be applied to prevent T1DM.
Casu
Anna
A
Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Pediatrics, Rangos Research Center, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3460 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Trucco
Massimo
M
Pietropaolo
Massimo
M
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018951:Antigens, CD20 / Q000276:immunology; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000276:immunology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005544:Forecasting; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018951:Antigens, CD20; D017252:CD3 Complex