Dendritic cell mediated therapy for immunoregulation of type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes is a state of imbalance in insulin secretion and tissue sensitivity resulting in hyperglycemia and a host of other metabolic changes. Increased patient morbidity and mortality are caused in part by diabetic complications that include cardio-vascular complications, retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy (1). The early onset of disease in type 1 diabetes mellitus increases the effects of these complications since the risk of development increases with disease duration. Clinical agents are currently available for type 2 diabetic patients to increase both secretion and sensitivity to insulin. These compounds are ineffective in type 1 diabetic patients due to the destruction of the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans, making type 1 and non-responsive type 2 diabetic patients dependent on insulin replacement therapy. Intensive insulin treatment delays onset of these complications, but does not eliminate them (1). Insulin replacement therapy is not a cure for type 1 diabetes; to establish a cure, the destruction of the beta cells themselves must be directly addressed. Here we will focus on immunoregulatory techniques to prevent beta cell loss due to the autoimmunity found in type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA, USA.
Brett E
BE
Phillips
Nick
N
Giannoukakis
Massimo
M
Trucco
D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*