Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes — Scientific Discoveries and Delaying Disease Progression

Could insulin dependency be a burden of the past for patients with type 1 diabetes? Matthias von Herrath, M.D., scientific director of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is hopeful.

Dr. von Herrath joined the “Inside U Miami Medicine” podcast to share how he and his teams are working on the ultimate T1D moonshot: to restore, or preserve, natural insulin production and normalize blood sugar levels without imposing other risks that accompany immune suppression.

For more than a century since the discovery of insulin, patients with T1D have depended on multiple daily injections to survive this potentially fatal illness. Despite extensive research and numerous clinical trials over the years, a treatment to fully prevent or cure T1D remains elusive.

“It is a very complex, multifactorial autoimmune disease occurring from genetic and environmental factors, as we understand it to date,” said Dr. von Herrath.

In Episode One of this two-part conversation, Dr. von Herrath reviews the current understandings of the pathogenesis of T1D and describes the mechanisms of the first FDA-approved treatment for delaying T1D for those at risk: Tzield (teplizumab-mzwv), an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody.

“This is an important new treatment option for certain at-risk patients,” he said. “The drug’s potential to delay clinical diagnosis of T1D may provide patients with up to three years without the burdens of disease.”

Find the episode wherever you listen to podcasts by searching “Inside U Miami Medicine” or click here to listen on Apple podcasts.

Tags: Diabetes Research Institute, Dr. Matthias von Herrath, Inside U Miami Medicine, Inside U Miami Medicine podcast, type 1 diabetes