New hope for immune intervention therapy in type 1 diabetes.

摘要

In the wake of disappointing results from the first phase 3 immune intervention trials in type 1 diabetes mellitus, a report by Tihamer Orban and colleagues in The Lancet could provide a much desired glimmer of hope that the course of disease progression can be altered by immunotherapy after all. Treatment of patients with recent-onset type 1 diabetes for 2 years with abatacept (CTLA4 immunoglobulin fusion protein), believed to interfere with priming and activation of T cells, effectively delayed loss of beta-cell function for 9 months. This protective effect was preserved for the complete period of 2 years' therapy. This trial is yet another important deliverable from the international Diabetes TrialNet Consortium, which has an impressive efficiency in designing and executing clinical immune intervention trials in type 1 diabetes with swift recruitment of eligible patients.