Sydney Morning Herald - Kate Hagan

MELBOURNE researchers are a step nearer to developing a vaccine for type 1 diabetes, after showing that a nasal spray can stop the body's immune system from attacking insulin-producing cells.

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute immunologist Professor Len Harrison described the finding as exciting, saying it provided the first proof the treatment worked in humans.

He said the spray markedly suppressed the immune response to insulin in 52 new type 1 diabetes patients, in a study published in the journal Diabetes.

The spray is not intended as a treatment for people who already have diabetes, but he said the results showed researchers were on the right track to developing a vaccine.

They are testing the nasal spray in young people with a family history of type 1 diabetes who have developed antibodies for the disease.

''This is the first time anyone has shown that this novel vaccine approach can change the immune response.''

Co-author Dr Spiros Fourlanos, of Royal Melbourne Hospital, said the finding was extremely encouraging.

http://stopdiabetes.com.au

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