Type one diabetes is an autoimmune condition but what does that mean? Well, we all know what our immune system is. The security force for our body, it keeps the bad things out and attacks anything nasty which gets in. Unfortunately for us our immune systems are rather meat headed and tend to act before it thinks, which isn’t so surprising when you consider that it’s made up of single celled organisms and impulses. This means that when it sees a threat, your immune system is going to attack it with everything even if it kills you in the process. Asthmatic attacks are immune responses to allergens and are more than capable of killing a patient.
In an autoimmune condition the immune system has got itself confused in one way or another and is attacking something it shouldn’t, i.e. yourself. In the case of type one diabetes the immune system attacks beta cells which are found in the pancreas. These cells produce insulin and without them our bodies cannot make this hormone. Though the insulin cells can be transplanted and replaced the immune system just keeps killing them, causing the type one diabetics symptoms.
It’s not all fire and brimstone however, scientists have been working on getting around the immune system for years as when they do, type one diabetes will finally be beaten. They’ve developed a specialist protein which is supposed to reprogramme the specific cells in the immune system which attack the insulin producing beta cells. So far they’ve only tested this treatment on white mice who were induced into contracting type one diabetes but the results are astounding. The treated mice were seen to have no sign of lingering diabetes and were totally cured of the illness. The Researchers responsible are hoping to begin clinical trials within two years, if all goes to plan this could well be the beginning of the end for type one diabetes!
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