just curious

[ralphied]

does anyone actually think they will ever cure this disease?just curious how others feel and if anything is even getting close?im a pessimist and just want to hear if any real promising strides are on the horizon.we need a miracle guys!

[cydnimom]

Yes, they will find a cure for diabetes. They are making great strides and all my money is on stem cell research. They just need to find a way of doing it without embryonic stem cells to lessen the controversy on that issue.

Hang in there - it will happen!

[DadCares]

I genuinely believe a cure will be found, but I recognize that the timing that my daughter could enjoy those benefits will take a number of years. Even if they find a cure tomorrow, I know it takes several years to go through Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 trials in humans. And, even then, the "cure" might not be approved for children under 18 years old. Thus, my 5 year old daughter is going to have to wait a number of years even in the best case scenario. But, it's the hope of how her life will be changed that encourages me because I believe it will occur.

I base my opinion on the progresses we've seen in research over the last few years. One of the more significant discoveries is that a Type 1 Diabetic can still produce Beta Cells up to 50 years after diagnosis. It was widely accepted (just a few years back) that your body simply quit producing insulin when you became Type 1 diagnosed. What we now know is the autoimmune attacks are so aggressive that Beta Cells were destroyed before they could begin to do their work.

Next, diabetes has been cured in mice in at least 3 ways that I've observed from different research labs. A mice is far-different than a human. But, the point is that strategies for a cure have advanced to the next step without failing at step #1.

Example #1 - See my other post on the Dendritic Cells and Dr. Trucco and the Univ. of Pittsburgh. I believe an actual Phase 1 Trial is being scheduled. That is very significant news because they are actually going to try this approach in humans. And this research seems to be very similar to the Dendritic Cell research by Jeff Bluestone and Qizhi Tang at Univ. California San Francisco.

Example #2 - The work of Dr. Faustman (www.joinleenow.com) and some of the follow up funding by JDRF is encouraging. 3 different research labs used Faustman's research (with the BCG drug) and observed mice being cured. Some people want to focus on the negative that Dr. Faustman's findings on spleen cells weren't confirmed. Some want to focus on the fact that only 20-50% of the mice were cured, depending on which research lab was involved (Faustman observed 67%). But 20-67% cured is statistically significant. Something worked in those particular mice and can be followed up on.

Example #3 - Dr. Jerry Nadler & the Univ. of Virginia combined two drugs lisofylline and exendin-4 to both stop the auto-immune attack and promote growth of new pancreatic cells. Dr. Nadler mentions an important consideration in promoting growth of new pancreatic cells because uncontrolled cell growth could lead to tumors. But the point is they've found a formula that worked in mice, which becomes a foundation for future testing in humans.

Perhaps there is some future in islet cells or stem cells. But, to me, it seems researchers must first stop the autoimmune attacks before any other solution (dentritic cells, beta cell regeneration, islet cells, stem cells, etc.) will have a chance to work.

Well, I'm done typing but this wasn't the end of my list. There are other doctors and researchers focusing on different diabetes research or variations of the above research. I didn't even mention groups like Transition Therapeutics, Inc.

Will they find a cure? Yes, I see clear evidence above that MAJOR progress is being made.

Will I observe disappointments? Yes, because many promising findings will fail. But, if they find one, just one, strategy that stops the autoimmune attack, all diabetes research will explode on new strategies for beta cell regeneration, islet cells transplants, dendritic cells, etc.

What can I do? (1) Donate my money to research. (2) Raise awareness with friends and business associates to consider contributing money. (3) Pray for the actual researchers themselves. I believe the power of prayer will actually help guide the specific researcher who is going to find the solution to cure my daughter and your child also!

[susanH]

my son was diagnosed in 1991, he was just three. i remember a JDF T-shirt we had that said the 90s was the "decade for the cure" and what false hope that instilled in me. i believe the "cure" will be found in managing diabetes, better technology that will eventually enable our kids to lead almost undiabetic lives. i remember when he was in the hospital for that week, a doctor visiting us and saying "inhale-able insulin is just around the corner" and that was 15 years ago:eek: medical research moves at a snail's pace. i am still hopeful my son will lose his disease while i'm still around cuz i'm throwing the party of a lifetime on that day. but truthfully, i believe it will come from our tech companies before it comes from medical science....not that we don't have dedicated research scientists (dr. trucco in pittsburgh is my hero) but technology doesn't seem as tied down in the politics of finding a cure. minimed and other pump companies will be on the frontline of giving our kids the lives we want for them.

i had prayed mightily that this disease would be a memory by the time he would leave for college. well, time flies and he leaves in 4 weeks, pump on his waist and a trunk full of infusion sets and testing stuff to boot, no cure, but a very healthy 18 year-old awesome son who is by far the better part of me.

i have told my son that we do struggle for a cure but something will change his life dramatically in the future. just when all of his peers have hit a static part of their life and are having their "19th nervous breakdown", i believe my son will be handed a BRAND NEW LIFE and he will feel a joy like no other and embrace a life he's never known with complete and utter enthusiasm and thankfulness; living every diabetes-free minute to the absolute fullest, as God intended in the fist place.

i believe in God first, and technology second. my money's on the pump companies to cross the line way before medical science has an answer.

[ralphied]

thanks to all who answered my post.im keeping my fingers crossed but as far as i can see i think odds r we r gonna be dealing with this for a lot of years

[Catareta]

Diabetes is so complicated, so I think the only way to cure is to prevent it in our children...

I am sorry to be disheartened by "the cure"; each person is different; so if doctors tried to cure it, might not work on some people....

IDDM-NIDDM-MODY-LADA etc... even though its one disease; it actually isnt.

[Barry]

After asking two friends that are pharmaceutical reps my money says it wont be a drug company that does it...it their bread and butter.

[Momof4gr8kids]

A new drug for RA has surfaced recently that gives me hope. The drug in question kills the RA antibodies, but there are still problems with the immune system ie, easy infections, ect...
Immune sapresion is where I think it will happen, unfortanately it comes with risks as everything does.

[madde]

I believe xenotransplation holds the most promise for a viable treatment to bring euglycemia to type 1 diabetics. The two front runners for Encapsulated Porcine Islets are Living Cell Technologies, and MicroIslet. Read up about their potential treatments on their websites. LCT is planning starting human clinical trials in 2007.

www.lct.com.au/
www.microislet.com

[5miraclez]

Honestly, I believe they will come up with an "artificial pancreas" before there is actually a cure. I've had diabetes for 28 years and back when I was diagnosed they were telling my mom there would be a cure within the next 5 years. I stay optimistic that a cure will be found but in the meantime, I'm going to use all the technology there is to live a normal life.