Combination Drug Therapy May Hold the Key to Reversing Type 1 Diabetes
Diakine Therapeutics, a Charlottesville-based biotechnology firm, announced that new research shows that one of their drugs, used in combination therapy, could reverse type 1 diabetes.
According to the company, seventy percent of mice with type 1 diabetes treated with a combination therapy of Lisofylline (LSF) (DiaKine Therapeutics) and INGAP Peptide (Kinexum Metabolics) went into complete remission and no longer needed insulin, LSF or INGAP Peptide in order to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Additionally, mice treated with this novel combination therapy required less insulin during the treatment regimen than the controls according to results of a preclinical study presented at the prestigious Keystone Symposia on Beta Cell and Islet Biology.
The research was led by Drs. Jerry Nadler and Sarah Tersey and conducted at the University of Virginia. “We are very encouraged by the results of this study and others that indicate LSF in combination with certain peptides, or small molecules, is a potential therapy for the reversal of type 1 diabetes,” said Dr. Nadler, chief science officer of DiaKine. “Our goal with these drugs is to address large unmet medical needs which will change the daily routine of people with diabetes from fingerstick blood tests and insulin injections to a therapy which will allow individuals the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life.”
“We believe that a two-prong approach with an immune
modulator such as LSF, in combination with an islet cell growth factor, such as INGAP Peptide, offers the best hope of allowing the body to generate insulin-producing cells.” said Keith D. Ignotz, DiaKine CEO and President. “We are aggressively pursuing a commercialization path for LSF as the primary autoimmune modulator for diabetes combination therapy.”
LSF, being developed by DiaKine Therapeutics, Inc., is a synthetic small molecule with novel anti-inflammatory properties. LSF has been shown to block interleukin 12 (IL-12) signaling and STAT-4 activation in target cells and tissues, important pathways linked to inflammation and autoimmune damage to insulin producing cells.
DiaKine Therapeutics, Inc. is a development-stage company commercializing novel immune modulators initially targeting the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as diabetes and related complications. These new drugs regulate cytokines, part of the body’s immune system, which mistakenly attack tissue and cause inflammation. For more information, visit www.diakine.com.
