World-first human clinical trials are currently underway in Queensland for a groundbreaking type 1 diabetes drug developed by local researchers.
The new treatment, known as ASITI-201, has the potential to reduce the need for insulin injections and may even prevent the disease from progressing.
Brisbane mother-of-two, Cecelia Wickstroem Giraldi, developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy, and her blood sugar levels never returned to normal.
She later became one of over 120,000 Australians diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and described the condition as a challenging burden.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Professor Ranjeny Thomas from the University of Queensland explained that current treatments simply replace the missing insulin but do not address the root cause.
Giraldi is one of the first five participants in the clinical trial and is receiving doses of ASITI-201, which has been in development for 25 years.
The drug has already shown promising results in mice, and researchers are hopeful it will have a similar impact in humans.
ASITI-201 combines proteins and cells from the pancreas with vitamin D to reprogram the immune system and stop it from attacking insulin-producing cells.
Professor Thomas said the goal is to reduce or eliminate the need for frequent insulin injections by halting the immune attack.
The clinical trial is expanding, and researchers are currently seeking 31 more participants who are over 18 and were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes within the past five years.
