[shiftzor]

Well it feels like history is repeating itself. Having had a brief history lesson I hope that despite all odds they will prevail and that history will repeat itself. I just hope this "idea" is crazy enough to succeed like insulin was at the turn of the last century .

[ant hill]

Originally Posted by Mich

2. Because of # 1, there is very little money to be made if this works. Drug companies are not interested and have said so.

And here is the real fight as this is like the oil companies that frown on new found cars that has different technology.

3. The medical establishment and drug company establishment have already made some pretty deplorable personal attacks. Trying to block Denise Faustman's Research? I hope we are allowed to link to another forum, because this is an excellent synopsis.

Yes indeed.

4.In spite of the fact that the MGH Clinical Trials are in their beginning stages, they will go more quickly because of #1. If even a few autoimmune responses are removed, it will be a success. Hopefully our weird Killer T cells will also be eliminated (they are the target in this study.) There is reason for hope on this one.

I find this is the right approach to a cure and like the AIDS epidemic whare money is aplenty. We need money for this success.

[pegasus]

As I said, Lee Iacoca (for non-USers, he ran Chrysler and made bundles) is underwriting a lot of her work; I believe he had a relative w/diabetes, so while he obviously can't afford the whole thing, at least her spot seems secure. There is also a possibility that more money will be funneling into TB (therefore perhaps BCG)--the TB community is being organized by the WHO among other international organizations.

Believe me--I'm not the Pollyanna type; I've got all the crossed toes and fingers possible.

[fgummett]

Lee Iacocca lost his Wife to Diabetes in 1983 and started The Iacocca Foundation

[DarthDiabetes]

Stem Cell Breakthrough Offers Diabetes Hope

[erich]

Thanks for the heads-up about this work, Here's the web page to apply for the Study,
the cut off age for the clinical study is 45, but I hope they will take me because at 53 I show no sign of any diabetic complications after 38 years with type 1.

Wish me luck
Cheers,
Erich




Determination of Dosing and Frequency of BCG Administration to Alter T-Lymphocyte Profiles in Type I Diabetics - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

[Mich]

Hi Erich,

I donated blood for the development of the assay. I flew from California to Boston on my own dime because I believe in this work. While I was there in mid-March, the Phase 1 clinical trial was beginning. It is a double blind study and of course it is being done with very exacting standards. The Phase 1 recruited volunteers with a maximum age of 45. If you do a little digging a la Google, you will find that many are watching this study like a hawk. It is necessary that the study be done with very carefully .

Complications do not necessarily exclude a person from one of the clinical trials, although the use of some drugs or diseases can--also because of the exacting standards. They may actually choose certain types of complications as a qualifier for later studies. It is the aim of this treatment to cure even long-standing diabetes, rather than just treat the symptoms. The Phase II clinical trial is scheduled to begin in about 18 months.

The current clinical trials are to determine how much and in what order the BCG should be given. It has been known for a long time that one dose of BCG doesn't do the job on diabetes as it does in tuberculosis. There is also a factor in the success of the treatment process regarding blood sugar control during the drug's administration. This is all on the faustmanlab.com website. Also, their newest newsletter has just been released and may be posted on the website also.

The broader aim of this project os to find a way to stop other auto-immune conditions also. If these trials are able to get rid of any of the killer T cells and stop even one auto-immune condition it will be a success, although not the one we are all hoping for. If it eliminates the killer T cells that are destroying our beta cells as they form, even old timers like me may have a chance of re-growing them. It is a good avenue to explore.

Dr Faustman is a very smart,friendly and energetic person. She took time to discuss the study with my husband (who went as my "control" and also gave blood) and me, and make sure all of our questions were answered. Her staff was also friendly and helpful. The study will need more blood donations but because of recent publicity they are getting calls from all around the world. When I was there, appointments were signed up through early 2009.

Don't hesitate to donate blood. They also need non-diabetic control blood for the assays. Donations must be taken at Massachusetts General Hospital in Dr Faustman's lab and cannot be sent by your local lab. Faustman Lab

Mich

[Scrabblechick]

Many, many prayers that these trials will result in a cure for Type I, and maybe some new avenues of treatment for us Type 2s! To say nothing of those who suffer from other autoimmune diseases like lupus and MS. I hope the trials are wildly successful!

[It Ain't Over]

I had the very good fortune to start a nice five week long vacation four years ago with attendance at the Palm Springs announcement of this study. That featured both Lee Iaccoca and Denise Faustman.
I purchased the video tapes of that seminar and when I reviewed them I was struck with the attitude that was apparent then and is still very clear today on their part.
This is not a money making adventure for anyone there. They came across as truly wanting to cure diabetes. They have faced down the big monied organizations and are staying on course with a very promising and potentially inexpensive and readlily available source for a cure.
Dr Faustman has met the goals and remains on target. Of course the final outcome remains to be seen and no one is so foolish as to predict that they will cure us at any time. But this is a very exciting endeavor and it does offer hope for all of us in the community of diabetics.