Erschienen in:
01.07.2010 | Commentary
Getting beta all the time: discovery of reliable markers of beta cell mass
verfasst von:
J. C. Hutton, H. W. Davidson
Erschienen in:
Diabetologia
|
Ausgabe 7/2010
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Excerpt
The long prodrome of type 1 diabetes, evidenced by the early appearance of circulating autoantibodies of multiple specificities, provides a window of opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Several ongoing Phase II and III clinical trials show promise that we will eventually be able to prevent the T-cell-mediated autoimmune destruction of the islet, probably by a combination of immune-based therapies and induction of beta cell growth or cellular replacement. Currently the efficacy of intervention post-disease-onset can be monitored by the decline in C-peptide responses along with HbA1c levels and insulin requirements; however, these metrics are of little use before disease emergence, and there is an important strategic need to develop technologies to evaluate beta cell mass in human individuals, either serologically or by non-invasive imaging. The same applies to type 2 diabetes. Routine monitoring of beta cell mass will be an essential component of the management of future therapeutic interventions for determining efficacy and detecting disease recurrence. …