Dr. Faustman Interview

[Norajane]

So there is a talk show that airs in El Paso TX it's called Science Studio. My father is one of the hosts, he interviewed Dr. Denise Faustman, due to his interest in his granddaughter. Faustman is a resercher based out of Boston who has "cured" Type 1 in lab rats. She is very controversial but well worth listening to this interview. I have been trying everything to make this available to the parents here without much luck but I was finally able to upload the files (which are big) to this site.

http://www.supload.com/listen?s=ZI3WETTSL4HP
http://www.supload.com/listen?s=IQQ3S6X3QXS1
http://www.supload.com/listen?s=IN69S0ZA96IP

There are three parts to this interview. I hope it works for everyone. When I try to listen I don't hear anything but it may be because I'm on a mac I don't know. If anybody successfully hears this or not please let me know. Hope you enjoy.

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

We have been very hopeful about Dr. Faustman's research for years. She has, I think a reputation for being "controversial" because in the early days of her research JDRF was openly hostile toward her research, that may not still be the case.

http://www.iacoccafoundation.org/ny_times_a_diabetes_researcher.htm
http://www.massgeneral.org/diabetes/faculty_faustman.htm

[Norajane]

Please don't misunderstand me. I believe fully in her work. I only posted the term "controversial" to not get anybody up in arms. I guess it didn't work.

[Mama2H]

No worries Norajane :D I think Sarah was just pointing out who was funding her research and comenting about how JDRF treated Faustman in the begining of her research.

I too have high hopes for her research!

I can't wait to open the links and watch them when the girls are in bed. I can't seem to get 5 minutes without interuption while they are awake LOL.

[Ellen]

My computer is not cooperating well today so I'm unable to download the files at the moment. Can you please explain her research in lay terms.

[Norajane]

Sure. Basically Dr. Faustman set out to do islet transplants. They thought that if they stopped the autoimmune reaction that killed the insulin producing islets then they could transplant new ones successfully. So they found a drug that did just that. Much to the researchers surprise they discovered that once this autoimmune reaction was surpressed the islets regenerated in thier own. _ Then producing insulin on thier own. No need for a transplant. Basically curing the rats..they maintained healthy BS. The coolest part is that the drug is a generic drug that has been used in this country for 60 years. Much to the dismay of the pharma companies. So Faustman is going into human trials next year. Exciting to say the least.

She discusses all of this is the interview.
I hope you all can hear it. If nobody can get it to work please let me know and I'll try again. The problem is that they are large MP3 files and I can't get them any smaller.

[CDoyle1013]

Lee Iacocca and the Iaccoca Foundation is BIG on Dr. Faustman. There is a little ego between her coworkers and her. A March 24, 2006 article in the Wall Street Journal substantiates this. At least 2 of her Harvard researchers downplayed her publicly in the media. However, other researchers have been able to validate her studies and methods. JDRF was seemingly hostile to her research because these researchers adverse to her controlled the grant review process at JDRF. According to my nephew, who has a PhD and published work on diabetes research, egos sometimes get in the way, as we can find in most organizations and walks of life. I am praying that she is on the money with this.

[rmccully2000]

I could not get any audio either. :(

The Faustman Protocol is a two arm therapy since they think there are two different types of defective cells (memory and naive t-cells). The BCG will address the first arm, to attack and kill defective memory t-cells by increasing TNF-alpha production.

The latest rumor I heard (this week) was a December 2007 start date
although I haven't seen anything on clinicaltrials.gov.
They will give a small amount of BCG to the patients. They have built an assay machine that separates and counts the defective t-cells. If BCG has any effect, they expect the number of defective t-cells to decrease after injection. No immune suppressants will be required.

They are still searching for a generic drug for the second arm of the therapy (killing the naive t-cells), which will hopefully result in complete reversal of diabetes.

Becky, Mom to Mason, 7 Dexom, Omnipod

[Norajane]

Sorry it's not working. If anybody really wants it I can email a zipped folder with the MP3's - Just PM me and I will send them off.

[Kris60]

couldn't get the audio to work either but did find this newsletter

http://www.faustmanlab.org/News/FaustmanNewsltrSummer07%5B1%5D.pdf
http://www.faustmanlab.org/news.html

you'll need to have adobe or something that reads a pdf file

[CDoyle1013]

This is my nephew's work at Stanford (Jeremy Heit):


Cellular Pathways Identified That Control Beta Cell Growth and Function

New York, NY, October 24, 2006 — Scientists at Stanford University have found that two proteins work together to regulate the growth and function of insulin-secreting beta cells. The discovery could help researchers design drugs that regenerate beta cells and make them perform better, reducing insulin needs in people with diabetes.

The two proteins, calcineurin and NFAT, work in tandem to spur beta cells to multiply and produce more insulin to adapt to increased body size, as might happen with pregnancy, aging or obesity. If either protein is impaired, beta cells don't multiply as well, and diabetes may result. The Stanford research looks at the other side of the coin: therapies that boost the activity of the proteins could restore blood sugar control in people that have diabetes.

"This finding may provide a basis for identifying potential targets for treatments aimed at regenerating beta cells and beta cell function," JDRF Executive Vice President for Research Richard Insel, M.D., said.

The study was led by Jeremy Heit, M.D., Ph.D., in the laboratory of Seung Kim, M.D., Ph.D., a JDRF-funded researcher. It was published in the journal Nature.

Dr. Kim's lab was studying calcineurin's possible connection to a well known, but poorly understood, phenomenon: Patients taking immune-suppressing drugs after an organ transplant frequently develop diabetes. Because these drugs are known to interfere with calcineurin function, the scientists suggested that calcineurin played an important role in beta cell function.

To clarify the connection, Drs. Kim and Heit studied mice that lacked calcineurin production in the pancreas after birth. After 12 weeks, the animals were severely diabetic. The researchers found that the absence of calcineurin prevented the beta cells from multiplying as the mice grew in those first weeks. It also reduced the amount of insulin made by the existing beta cells.

To clarify the pathway through which calcineurin acts, the researchers bypassed this protein and instead activated NFAT, which calcineurin regulates. Beta cells lacking calcineurin but with active NFAT behaved normally, multiplying as the mice aged and producing normal amounts of insulin. This suggests that calcineurin regulates beta cell function via signals passed to NFAT. More importantly, it suggests that drugs targeting either calcineurin or NFAT could be effective at boosting insulin secretion.

In addition to a role in regenerative medicine, targeting calcineurin might prove useful in stimulating beta cells in the laboratory to multiply for replacement transplants. It might even help guide embryonic stem cells to become insulin secreting cells.

As for NFAT, scientists are finding that its interplay with other proteins affect other cells relevant to type 1 diabetes. The August issue of Research Frontline described a study by JDRF-funded researchers published in Cell showing that NFAT influences immune tolerance. Depending on which protein it is paired with, NFAT can spur immune cells into attack mode or direct them to stand down.

Combined with the latest finding, it appears NFAT not only helps determine whether beta cells are attacked by immune cells (as occurs in type 1 diabetes) but also whether beta cells are able to multiply and perform properly. This suggests that the NFAT pathway may be an attractive therapeutic intervention point for preventing the disease and for reversing it.

[twodoor2]

I could not get any audio either. :(


They are still searching for a generic drug for the second arm of the therapy (killing the naive t-cells), which will hopefully result in complete reversal of diabetes.
Becky, Mom to Mason, 7 Dexom, Omnipod

Those are the most beautiful words I've heard in my life. If only . . . let us hope.