In the past, I've blogged about an Australian experiment using implants that could, theoretically, eliminate the need for type 1 diabetics to use insulin shots. Researchers said it's possible to implant seaweed-coated capsules containing insulin-producing cells in the abdomen. The cells produce insulin, but the tiny pores in the seaweed do not allow immune system cells to pass through and destroy the cells. Allie has also looked at a related issue: experiments that surgically attach kelp-coated islets to the liver for the same purpose.

Sounds pretty brilliant. But could it really work? The verdict looks like "Yes." According to the results of a new Johns Hopkins University study, such implants could be helpful for type 1 diabetics whose bodies otherwise reject insulin transplants. The capsules utilized in the study were coated with a substance made from alginate, which is derived from seaweed. The technology could eventually be offered to diabetics whose bodies reject insulin cell transplants, something which could became standard treatment in the future. It would likely be a safer choice than the only other option known so far: anti-rejection drugs. Talk about the power of nature!

The results of the study have been published in Nature Medicine. Next step is a larger trial that will lead to seeking FDA approval for the technique.

Diabetes researchers have for a while been kicking around the idea that Type 1 diabetes might develop following exposure to a virus. Experts in Finland have been looking into this issue and say that a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes is possible, but would probably take years to develop. If the vaccine is successfully developed, they say, it could prevent at least half of all cases of Type 1 diabetes. Wow - can you imagine?

The researchers in question are both Finnish university professors. In anticipation of a breakthrough, they have set themselves up in business as Vactech, and the company is charged with developing said vaccine. Vaccine manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur is also in on the project.

Anyway, here are the nitty gritty facts: one in five Finns face a hereditary risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. This rate is disproportionately high when compared with other populations. Why should this be? Our good experts say that both this hereditary risk and the results of other population-based research indicate that external factors could be the cause of this hereditary risk. It is thought that a common type of viruses, known as enteroviruses, could be to blame because they sometimes seek out and destroy insulin-producing cells. Also, it has been established that children with Type 1 diabetes have been infected with enteroviruses more than other, non-diabetic, kids.

Today's Scary Statistic: a Denmark study indicates that Type 1 diabetics are more than - get ready - three (!) times more likely than non-diabetics to develop multiple sclerosis.

According to the researchers, there are indications that MS and Type 1 diabetes may be somehow linked within what one might call 'disease families.' Why? Because Type 1 diabetes and MS are both autoimmune diseases, which cause the body to attack its own tissues. In the case of Type 1 diabetes, the body reacts against insulin-producing cells, whereas in the case of MS it attacks the myelin shealth that surrounds neurons in the brain.

Previous studies have indicated a link between Type 1 diabetes and MS, however, this is the first large-scale study to investigate the connection.

See the following Reuters report to learn more. The full results of the study have been published in the latest Archives of Neurology (July 2006).

Regular old seaweed may be helpful in the treatment of Type 1 diabetes, according to the results of an experimental trial carried out in Australia. Researchers at the Prince of Wales Hospital and the University of New South Wales just tried out a new procedure on a diabetic patient. Insulin-producing cells were taken from a donated pancreas, placed in capsules, which were then coated in seaweed and injected into the patient's abdomen. Pores on the surface of the capsules are so tiny that the body's immune cells cannot enter and destroy the tissue. In theory, this means the patient does not have to take anti-rejection drugs. Ultimately, researchers hope this could be a way to free diabetics from the need for daily insulin injections. Unfortunately, this concept is still in the very early stages. It will be months or years before we'll know if the "seaweed method" is viable. The image above shows the patient involved in the experiment, Janice Stewart, being injected with the seaweed-coated capsule.