Thomas Malek, Ph.D.Podcast

Narrator:
The Diabetes Research Institute presents a series of reports on the latest progress in cure-focused research – promising discoveries aimed at restoring natural insulin production in those living with diabetes.    

Reporter:
The body’s immune system is always at the ready -- poised to attack not only foreign matter, but the body’s own tissues. One critical force that prevents these attacks against the self is a group of cells called t-regulatory cells, known as “t-regs.”  

But in people with type 1 diabetes, there’s evidence t-reg cells do not function properly. So, the immune system is free to destroy the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. The attack is called autoimmune disease.  

At the Diabetes Research Institute, Dr. Tom Malek has been studying t-reg cells.  

Malek:
“We’ve been very interested to move it into ways where we can better understand t-regs and how they may impact therapy for type 1 diabetes.”  

Reporter:
Malek has been focusing on a substance called IL-2. It’s a growth factor that t-reg cells need. No IL-2…no t-reg cells. 

But with IL-2, t-reg cells are able to prevent the attack against the body’s own tissue.  

Malek:
“We’ve learned that when IL-2 is absent, these t-regulatory cells aren’t produced and there’s a massive autoimmune disease. One thing we found is that these t-reg cells are able to prevent this autoimmune disease.”  

Reporter:
Malek says the goal would be to transplant t-reg cells into people with type 1 diabetes. That, he says, could deliver two potentially big benefits.  

Malek:
“One is: can the t-reg cells be used in a way that might reverse autoimmune disease, including type 1 diabetes?”  

Reporter:
The second relates to the transplantation of islet cells. Those are the cells that produce insulin.

Right now, when islet cells are transplanted into a person with type 1 diabetes, the recipient’s body wants to reject those cells.

So, the recipient must take powerful anti-rejection drugs, for life. If the t-regs work, and the immune system would not attack the transplanted cells…then it’s possible the patient would not have to take anti-rejection drugs.

When the body is able to accept the cells, scientists call that “tolerance.”  

Malek:
“What we’re exploring is whether we can use these t-regs to induce tolerance. So what we’re aiming and working on is trying to use the t-reg cells in a way that we might prevent this rejection and also re-establish a normal immune response.”  

Reporter:
That last part – a normal immune response – is key.

Many scientists believe that even if the body is able to accept the transplanted islets, it’s possible there could be another autoimmune attack against them – a repeat attack, of the kind that created diabetes in the first place.  

Could t-regs both prevent rejection and the recurrence of auto-immune disease?  

Malek:
“In this animal model, we’ve been able to correct both things. That is, we correct autoimmunity and we’re also inducing long-lasting tolerance.”  

Reporter:
Research is still in its early stages, and many challenges remain. But Malek is encouraged by the dramatic results he’s seen so far in his lab. 

Malek:
“We’re talking about animals that would be dead in four or eight weeks and they’re living normal life spans. We’re talking about basically life versus death. We’re talking about rejected versus non-rejected. So, the results are very exciting in that regard and this is what we’re really pushing hard to learn more about.”  

Reporter:
He says the DRI is the place to try to make this happen – to move promising research from the bench, in the lab, to the bedside.  

Malek:
“What’s clear is going on in the DRI is that things are really established in a way to try to really move, move things to help patients.”        

Narrator:
This has been a production of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

For more information, or to show your support for the Diabetes Research Institute, call 1-800-321-3437.

You also may donate online at diabetesresearch.org.