Is DNA Vaccination the Future of Type 1 Diabetes Prevention and Management? Blog post by Nina Culum, MSc Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease affecting approximately 9.5% of individuals worldwide, and is characterized by insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia [1, 2]. Although it is thought to be caused by the T cell-mediated and autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing _ cells in the pancreas, more recent research supports the idea that type 1 diabetes results from a complex interplay of environmental and genetic factors that vary on a case-by-case basis [1, 3]. Despite decades of research, numerous advances, and considerable improvements in survival rates and overall health for those with type 1 diabetes, there is currently no cure, and it remains unclear how to prevent the disease from developing. At present, diabetes management consists of insulin administration in addition to healthy lifestyle habits (i.e., diet and exercise) [4]. https://insidescientific.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sex-Drugs-and-Protocol_F1.jpg Sex, Drugs and Protocol: How Researcher Choices Impact Experimental Outcomes in Preclinical Diabetes Research Dr. Aileen King presents data showing that even small alterations to experimental protocol and choice of model can substantially impact both welfare and data interpretation when studying blood glucose homeostasis in mice, using data from continuous glucose monitoring. WATCH NOW

Precision medicine approaches to preventing and treating type 1 diabetes

According to standard registry data, the incidence of type 1 diabetes has increased by 3-4% over the past 30 years [5]. Due to the increasing prevalence of the disease, insulin may become more difficult to access, particularly in underdeveloped countries [2]. Given the fact that type 1 diabetes can vary considerably between individuals, a precision medicine-based therapeutic approach could revolutionize clinical care. Many immune-based therapies directed against multiple disease pathways have been investigated in recent years as treatments for type 1 diabetes [3]. In particular, antigen-specific immunotherapies are an attractive solution as they can selectively block lymphocytes without impairing overall immunity, and have shown success in a range of preclinical models [3, 6]. Earlier this year, Postigo-Fernandez et al. evaluated a precision medicine approach to DNA vaccination in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes [6]. These constructs, termed the Endotope platform, achieve optimal presentation of endogenously expressed epitopes to diabetogenic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. In this study, the authors assessed how polypeptide localization, route of inoculation, treatment duration and frequency, and stage of disease at treatment initiation affect the platforms efficacy at preventing and delaying type 1 diabetes in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. The efficacy of this platform was also compared with Proinsulin plasmid DNA (pDNA) as it is the basis of a current phase II clinical trial. [fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" align_self="auto" content_layout="column" align_content="flex-start" valign_content="flex-start" content_wrap="wrap" spacing="" center_content="no" column_tag="div" link="" target="_self" link_description="" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" background_image_id="" type_medium="" type_small="" order_medium="0" order_small="0" spacing_left_medium="" spacing_right_medium="" spacing_left_small="" spacing_right_small="" spacing_left="" spacing_right="" margin_top_medium="" margin_bottom_medium="" margin_top_small="" margin_bottom_small="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top_medium="" padding_right_medium="" padding_bottom_medium="" padding_left_medium="" padding_top_small="" padding_right_small="" padding_bottom_small="" padding_left_small="" padding_top="40px" padding_right="30px" padding_bottom="30px" padding_left="30px" hover_type="none" border_sizes_top="" border_sizes_right="" border_sizes_bottom="" border_sizes_left="" border_color="" hue="" saturation="" lightness="" alpha="" border_style="solid" border_radius_top_left="" border_radius_top_right="" border_radius_bottom_right="" border_radius_bottom_left="" box_shadow="no" box_shadow_vertical="" box_shadow_horizontal="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" z_index_subgroup="regular" z_index="" z_index_hover="" overflow="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="#f5f5f5" background_image="" lazy_load="avada" skip_lazy_load="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" render_logics="" sticky="off" sticky_devices="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia