Type 1 Diabetes on Rise Among Youth @ WSJ (ISLT)

Islet Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB: ISLT) is a development-stage biotechnology company with patented technologies focused on transplantation therapy for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. The Company's transplantation technology includes methods for the culturing, isolation, maturation, and immuno-protection (microencapsulation) of islet cells. Islet Sciences’ mission includes the introduction of commercial products with applications to cell-based replacement therapy in the healthcare marketplace.

In the Wall Street Journal, Kate Linebaugh writes about a new study from the CDC showing that there has been a 23% jump in the prevalance of Type 1 diabetes among American youth. 

She writes,

"The growth in Type 1 stumps researchers who haven't been able to identify what triggers the autoimmune response or explain why an increasing number of people are afflicted. About 80% of Type 1 diabetics don't have a close relative with the disease.

'We don't know yet what is triggering diabetes or why it is increasing,' said Dana Dabelea, professor of epidemiology and pediatrics at the University of Colorado, Denver."

Researchers have several theories about the reasons behind the suddent jump:

"A leading theory known as the accelerator hypothesis suggests that greater weight gain and growth early in life puts stress on insulin-producing cells in the pancreas that sets off the autoimmune attack.

Another explanation is the so-called hygiene hypothesis, which is also linked to the rise of asthma and food allergies. Children in a modern society contend with fewer parasitic, viral and bacterial illnesses than previous generations, so the underchallenged immune system begins reacting to other stimuli in ways that are harmful." Read more at The Wall Street Journal. 

While it is undoubtedly important to try to research the possible causes of this trend, it is also important to develop new, more effective treatments for the growing population of Type 1 diabetes patients in the US. There are over 200 million diabetes sufferers in the US, and 5-10% of these patients are Type I insulin-dependent. Current treatments for Type I diabetes are palliative and require constant glucose monitoring and repeated daily insulin injections. This is a difficult regimen for responsible adults, and can be much worse for less mature patients, such as teenagers.

By contract, Islet Sciences' approach involves the transplantation of glucose-producing pancreatic islet cells, which could allow patients to become independent of injected insulin and eliminate the need for constant monitoring of their blood glucose levels. This would be especially beneficial to adolescents, who are much less likely to take their health and their treatments seriously. Read more at www.isletsciences.com.