AURORA | Aaron Michels was ecstatic when, a few
months ago, he found that a drug-like molecule could prevent the
development of type 1 diabetes in mice.
He was especially pleased since he has type 1 diabetes
himself.
Michels, an assistant professor of pediatrics and medicine at the
Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes’ Adult Clinic, was
diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 12. Now at 32, he knows
first-hand how hard it is to live with the autoimmune
illness.
Two decades ago, Michels’ symptoms were extreme, frequent urination
and significant loss in weight. He lost about 25 pounds in one
month, he said.
“You have to take insulin shots multiple times a day, check your
blood sugar; it’s not an easy disease to treat and control,”
Michels said.
In patients with type 1 diabetes, the body is incapable of
manufacturing insulin because its own immune system is attacking
it.
In 2009, he teamed up with George Eisenbarth, executive director of
the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, and a team of
researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine to
test a series of drug-like molecules in mice that were genetically
bred to develope type 1 diabetes. They were able to run these tests
with the help of a $600,000 grant from the National Institutes of
Health for a two-year period.
The findings, which will be published in The Journal of Immunology
in December, suggest that the drug-like molecule, called
Glyphosine, can prevent the development of type 1 diabetes in mice
and also has a similar effect on human cells of diabetic patients.
The mice remained disease-free with daily injections of the
compound, however, the compound was not effective on mice that
already had diabetes.
“Hopefully we could use this to stop the underlying process where
the body’s immune system, with these white blood cells, are
destroying insulin-producing cells,” Michels said.
His work is still in the research phases as of now, but he and
Eisenbarth may soon be partnering with a drug company to help make
the molecule viable and safe for humans. However, that process
could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, Michels said.
In about five years, Michels said he hopes to be able to test the
molecules on humans with type 1 diabetes.
“There are lots of hurdles,” namely securing funding and ensuring
the safety of the molecule, he said.
Although Michels and Eisenbarth aren’t at the point yet where they
can test the molecule on humans, they’re confident that this
discovery might be a step toward finding a cure for type 1
diabetes.
“A cure would be fantastic,” Michels said. “At least we can enhance
our understanding of why people get diabetes. I hope we can
eventually prevent and cure the disease, and I’m hopeful that in my
lifetime we will cure it.”
The illness has become more prevalent over the past 20 years and
can lead to complications like eye disease, kidney disease and
nerve disease, Michels said.
Doctors don’t know why type 1 diabetes has become so prevalent.
Some research shows that there might be a correlation between
diabetes and the environment, he said.
About 1 million people in the United States have type 1 diabetes,
and about 35,000 people are diagnosed each year, Eisenbarth said.
About 1 million people nationwide are currently developing type 1
diabetes but don’t know that they are, he said. Eisenbarth has also
made strides in being able to actually test whether someone will
develop type 1 diabetes. But the research that shows that a
molecule can actually prevent the disease is extremely significant,
he said.
“It applies both to diabetes patients and any autoimmune illness,
just about,” he said.
That means that the molecule might also prevent illnesses like
rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and celiac disease.
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036,
sara@aurorasentinel.com.
