new Research Reveals Why Type 1 diabetes develops More Aggressively in Children
EXETER, UK – Scientists have pinpointed a key reason why type 1 diabetes tends to be more severe and progresses faster in children then in adults: the maturity of insulin-producing beta cells at the time the immune system begins to attack them. The research, published recently, demonstrates that beta cells in younger patients are often destroyed before they have a chance to fully develop, while more mature cells in adults exhibit greater resilience.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas,which are responsible for producing insulin. Insulin is crucial for regulating blood sugar levels. The study, funded by the Steve Morgan foundation, Diabetes UK, and breakthrough T1D, observed the impact of this immune response on beta cells at different stages of development.
Researchers found that beta cells existing as small clusters or individual cells in children were readily targeted and eliminated by the immune system, preventing them from maturing into larger, more durable groups known as Islets of Langerhans. In contrast, beta cells within larger islets in adults, while still attacked, proved more resistant, allowing for continued, albeit reduced, insulin production and lessening the disease’s severity.
“I think this is a really significant finding for type 1 diabetes - this research really sheds light on why the disease is more aggressive in children,” explained Dr. Sarah Richardson, from the University of Exeter, to the BBC. She added, “the future is much brighter” for children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
The findings offer potential avenues for earlier screening of at-risk children and the development of new immunotherapies designed to delay the onset of the disease. The UK has already licensed teplizumab, an immunotherapy that aims to halt the immune system’s attack on beta cells, though it is currently not available through the National Health Service (NHS).
“because we have new drugs for the treatment of type 1 diabetes in children, we hope that these will be able to prevent or delay the onset in those young people,” Dr. Richardson stated.
Rachel Connor,director of research partnerships at Breakthrough T1D,emphasized the study’s importance,stating,”This study gives us a missing piece of the puzzle,explaining why type 1 diabetes progresses so much faster in children than in adults.”
Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, director of research and clinical at Diabetes UK, added, ”Uncovering why type 1 diabetes is so aggressive in young children opens the door to developing new immunotherapies aimed at slowing or stopping the immune attack, possibly giving children more precious years without insulin therapy and, one day, preventing the need for it entirely.”
