In a recent study by the University Autonoma de Barcelona, it has been discovered that there may be a cure for diabetes in large animals. In a single gene therapy session in a study on dogs, the dogs returned to full health and no longer showed signs of the condition. In follow up studies, there were also no recurring symptoms in some cases as well. The test used was minimally invasive and consisted of a session of injections in the dog’s rear legs – these treatments introduced gene therapy to express the insulin gene and the glucokinase at the same time. Glucokinase is an enzyme which regulates glucose in the blood.
Although the study has already been carried out with mice, the most recent research showed far greater results in larger animals which offer hope that this treatment could be successfully carried out in diabetic patients. The gene therapy has proved to be safe as well as effective, targeting two genes in the muscles of adult animals. The dogs were treated with a single dose of gene therapy showed better glucose control levels than those which were given daily insulin injections, with no signs of hypoglycaemia even following exercise. This study is the first to look into the effects of long-term diabetic control in large animals.
There have been various trials in which the AAV vectors have been introduced into the skeletal muscle, so this study could be translated into clinical trials. Future studies will need to take place in order to ascertain how successful this treatment would be in diabetic patients. However, this research has enabled scientists to find key information in the treatment of diabetes which could offer hope for future diagnoses of this condition. Although just veterinary research at the moment, it does pave the way for vital studies in the future into the effects of gene therapy in diabetic treatments.
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