If you are between the ages of 12 and 45 and were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes within the last three months, you may be interested in a new study from Diabetes TrialNet that is currently recruiting participants.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas are mistakenly attacked by the immune system. When you have had the condition for less than three months, you may still have some beta cells that can produce insulin, but within a few years, most people with Type 1 diabetes can no longer make their own insulin.
The researchers are evaluating whether low doses of the medicine ATG (brand name Thymoglobluin), used either alone or in combination with the medicine GCSF (Neulasta) will help people with Type 1 diabetes continue to make some of their own insulin. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either infusions of low-dose ATG and injections of GCSF, infusions of low-dose ATG and injections of a placebo (inactive treatment), or placebo infusions and injections.
Participation in the research involves a three-month treatment phase followed by a follow-up phase, for a total of two years. During the treatment phase, participants will have one inpatient stay for three days and two nights to receive two infusions and one injection. This will be followed by outpatient visits over the next ten weeks, every two weeks, to receive an injection. After that, follow-up outpatient visits will take place every three to six months.
To learn more about the research, and for a referral to a TrialNet site, click here.
This blog entry was written by Web Editor Diane Fennell.
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