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16-OCT-2007

New Study to Test Oral Insulin in the Prevention of Diabetes

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2007 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Researchers at

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) are leading the Canadian

component of a multinational clinical study aimed at preventing or

delaying type 1 diabetes. The Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet study will

examine whether taking insulin orally can prevent or delay diabetes

in people who are at risk for the disease.

"People who have a first- or second-degree relative with type 1

diabetes have approximately a 15 times greater risk of developing the

disease than the general population," says Dr. Diane Wherrett, staff

endocrinologist at SickKids and the lead Canadian investigator for

the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet study for oral insulin. "Our goal is to

determine whether taking oral insulin can help prevent type 1

diabetes or delay it, even for a few years, allowing those at risk a

chance to avoid the challenges of controlling glucose levels and

other serious health complications."

Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed in children, is due to abnormal

autoimmunity that destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

Insulin is an essential hormone that allows the body's cells to use

sugar for energy. Approximately 200,000 Canadians have type 1

diabetes and require daily insulin injections. Type 1 diabetes

hardens small blood vessels and is the leading cause of blindness,

kidney failure, stroke and loss of limbs.

In this study, researchers will test whether an insulin capsule taken

by mouth once a day can prevent or delay diabetes in a specific group

of people at risk for type 1 diabetes. Some scientists believe that

introducing insulin via the digestive track induces tolerance or a

quieting of the immune system's destruction of cells that produce

insulin. In a previous diabetes prevention trial using oral insulin,

a sub-group showed a delay in the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Approximately 20,000 people per year worldwide who have first- and

second-degree relatives with type 1 diabetes will be recruited for

the oral insulin study over the next five years. Individuals who are

between the ages of three and 45 and have a first-degree blood

relative (child, parent or sibling) or individuals who are between

the ages of three and 20 and have a second-degree blood relative

(uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, cousin or grandparent) with type 1

diabetes may be eligible for screening to determine their risk of

developing this disease. The initial screening involves a single

blood test to look for autoantibodies that may present long before

the onset of diabetes. To enroll in the study or for more

information, Canadians can call 416-813-5858 or 1-866-699-1899 or

www.diabetestrialnet.org.

The national study is led by SickKids, who will coordinate the trial

with 10 other centres across Canada: Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver,

Winnipeg, Saint John, St. John's, Halifax, Hamilton, London and

Montreal.

More than 100 centres across Canada, the United States, Europe and

Australia will be involved in the study. This study is conducted by

Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, a National Institutes of Health (NIH)

funded network of researchers dedicated to the understanding,

prevention and early treatment of type 1 diabetes. The Type 1

Diabetes TrialNet studies are funded by the National Institute of

Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of

Child Heath and Human Development, and the National Institute of

Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the NIH. The Juvenile Diabetes

Research Foundation International and the American Diabetes

Association also support this initiative.

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), affiliated with the

University of Toronto, is Canada's most research-intensive hospital

and the largest centre dedicated to improving children's health in

the country. As innovators in child health, SickKids improves the

health of children by integrating care, research and teaching. Our

mission is to provide the best in complex and specialized care by

creating scientific and clinical advancements, sharing our knowledge

and expertise and championing the development of an accessible,

comprehensive and sustainable child health system. For more

information, please visit www.sickkids.ca. SickKids is committed to

healthier children for a better world.

Please note: The next scheduled screening in Toronto will be held on

November 21 from 4 to 8 pm. SickKids will also be holding screening

sessions in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as in Barrie,

Kitchener, Orangeville, Oshawa and Peterborough. Participants must

call in advance to book an appointment for a screening at 416-813-

5858 or 1-866-699-1899.

SOURCE: Hospital for Sick Children

Copyright (C) 2007 CNW Group. All rights reserved.

(C) 2007 Canada NewsWire. All Rights Reserved

Some parents don't want to know about their other children and the possibility that they will also get type 1 but I found it helpful. It allowed me to catch my third daughter's symptoms before she went DKA.

The twins were diagnosed when they were 2 and now they are 12. My eldest was 12 when she was diagnosed and now she is 14. Having three with diabetes is both awful and great. Awful because they have to fight this horrible disease and great because in a strange way they have each other to lean on and sympathize with. It certainly consumes a great deal of our lives but it is second nature now. Now that they are older they have taken on most of their own care and are doing really well with it. They still rely on me to do their site changes and stabilize their sugars when they grow but they are great at monitoring themselves and correcting their highs/lows. Mentally they are handling it well too. I guess it helps that having diabetes is the 'norm' around here.

Do you have type 1? For how long?

I am glad that your girls are accepting this so well, even adults have a hard time with it, and it is tougher I think on the kids, because they see their friends not having to deal with this. Give them all hugs for me, and tell them what special girls they are.