Researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) have dosed the first five participants in a groundbreaking clinical trial of ASITI-201, a new immunotherapy drug designed to treat Type 1 diabetes.
Led by Professor Ranjeny Thomas AM from UQ’s Frazer Institute, the therapy aims to protect insulin-producing pancreatic cells by rebalancing the body’s immune response.
“In people with Type 1 diabetes, the immune system starts to recognise pancreatic cells as something it needs to attack, and right now the only available treatment is insulin replacement,” Professor Thomas explained.
ASITI-201 uses a pancreatic protein combined with vitamin D to calm the immune response. “This potential treatment uses the immune system’s ability to heal and has been successful in controlling the disease in mice,” she added.
The clinical trial, funded by the Medical Research Future Fund through CUREator, is being conducted at the Translational Research Institute’s Clinical Research Facility at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital. Recruitment is open for participants diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes within the last five years.