Experimental type 1 diabetes drug shelters pancreas cells from immune system attack

Key Takeaways

• An experimental drug called mAb43 appears to prevent and reverse the onset of clinical type 1 diabetes in mice, and in some cases, to lengthen the animals’ lifespan.
• The researchers aim to make a human version of the drug for clinical studies in people to test its ability to prevent type 1 diabetes. 

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say that an experimental monoclonal antibody drug called mAb43 appears to prevent and reverse the onset of clinical type 1 diabetes in mice, and in some cases, to lengthen the animals’ lifespan. Monoclonal antibodies are proteins made in laboratories that can bind to specific targets in the body. In this case, the monoclonal antibody binds to a small protein on insulin-making beta cells in the pancreas and is designed to shield those cells from attacks by the body’s own immune system cells. The findings were reported in the May issue of Diabetes.

The drug’s specificity for beta cells may enable long-term use in humans with few side effects, thereby raising the possibility of a new drug for type 1 diabetes. However, the current study used a mouse version of the monoclonal antibody. The researchers aim to develop a humanized version for clinical studies in people to test its ability to prevent type 1 diabetes.

Another monoclonal antibody drug, teplizumab, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2022. Teplizumab binds to T cells, making them less harmful to insulin-producing beta cells. The drug has been shown to delay the onset of clinical (stage 3) type 1 diabetes by about two years, giving young children who get the disease time to mature and learn to manage lifelong insulin injections and dietary restrictions. “It’s possible that mAb43 could be used for longer than teplizumab and delay diabetes onset for a much longer time, potentially for as long as it’s administered,” says Dax Fu, Ph.D., associate professor of physiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and leader of the research team.

Edited by Miriam Kaplan, PhD

Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine, ScienceDaily, April 29, 2024; see source article