Diabetes Breakthrough May Lead to New Treatment for Children and Adults
Wynnewood, PA, February 05, 2009 --(PR.com)-- A team of researchers from CureDM, Inc, in collaboration with the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) reported a ground breaking discovery with the potential to reverse type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In a paper published in Endocrine Practice, the leading peer-reviewed journal for practicing endocrinologists in the US and 65 countries, these researchers have described the discovery of a human peptide called the Human proIslet Peptide (HIP) that is responsible for regenerating insulin producing islets that may help reverse diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes, an auto-immune disease, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, the most common form, is also a result of premature death of insulin producing cells, but for reasons other than auto-immunity. In both types of diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin due to the premature destruction of islets structures located in the pancreas which produce insulin and other important glucose regulatory hormones.
Utilizing an innovative and proprietary approach to mine the human genome, the scientific team identified HIP to consist of 14 amino acids and determined it to be highly active in generating new insulin producing cells. The team also studied HIP in a number of experimental studies including human tissue and further characterized it as a development candidate for potential clinical studies. “We have shown in animal diabetes models that Human proIslet Peptide (HIP) increased the number of islets three-fold compared to placebo and therein, effectively restored such animals to normal function no longer requiring insulin” said Dr. Claresa Levetan, Chief Medical Officer, Founder of CureDM, Inc. and Clinical Professor, LIMR. It is hypothesized that treatment with HIP will restore human pancreatic function without the need to use stem cells. By addressing the underlying pathology of diabetes and restoring functional islets as a therapeutic approach with HIP, the potential exists to reverse both type 1 and 2 diabetes in humans.
CureDM plans to initiate human clinical trials in 2009. If successful in humans, this therapy stands to be first line treatment for diabetes and prediabetes.
Additional contributors to this paper include, Dr. Rita El-Hajj, Medical Director of CureDM, Inc. and Clinical Associate Professor, LIMR; Lisa Laury Kleintop, PhD, Associate Professor, LIMR; Loraine V. Upham, MBA, COO, CureDM; Shaoping Deng, MD, PhD from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; and Roger Nolan, PhD, Calvert Research Institute, with whom CureDM has also partnered on several of these studies.
About CureDM
CureDM, Inc., is located in the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research at the Lankenau Hospital campus in Wynnewood, PA. CureDM expects to file and IND for HIP in mid 2009 and is currently working on the aggressive development of its novel technology. For more information about CureDM, visit www.curedm.com.
About LIMR
Founded in 1927, the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research center located in suburban Philadelphia on the campus of the Lankenau Hospital. The faculty and staff at the Institute are dedicated to advancing an understanding of the causes of cancer and heart disease. They use this information to help improve diagnosis and treatment of these diseases as well as find ways to prevent them. They are also committed to extending the boundaries of human health and well-being through technology transfer and education directed at the scientific, clinical, business and lay public communities. For more information visit our web site at www.limr.org.
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Type 1 diabetes, an auto-immune disease, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, the most common form, is also a result of premature death of insulin producing cells, but for reasons other than auto-immunity. In both types of diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin due to the premature destruction of islets structures located in the pancreas which produce insulin and other important glucose regulatory hormones.
Utilizing an innovative and proprietary approach to mine the human genome, the scientific team identified HIP to consist of 14 amino acids and determined it to be highly active in generating new insulin producing cells. The team also studied HIP in a number of experimental studies including human tissue and further characterized it as a development candidate for potential clinical studies. “We have shown in animal diabetes models that Human proIslet Peptide (HIP) increased the number of islets three-fold compared to placebo and therein, effectively restored such animals to normal function no longer requiring insulin” said Dr. Claresa Levetan, Chief Medical Officer, Founder of CureDM, Inc. and Clinical Professor, LIMR. It is hypothesized that treatment with HIP will restore human pancreatic function without the need to use stem cells. By addressing the underlying pathology of diabetes and restoring functional islets as a therapeutic approach with HIP, the potential exists to reverse both type 1 and 2 diabetes in humans.
CureDM plans to initiate human clinical trials in 2009. If successful in humans, this therapy stands to be first line treatment for diabetes and prediabetes.
Additional contributors to this paper include, Dr. Rita El-Hajj, Medical Director of CureDM, Inc. and Clinical Associate Professor, LIMR; Lisa Laury Kleintop, PhD, Associate Professor, LIMR; Loraine V. Upham, MBA, COO, CureDM; Shaoping Deng, MD, PhD from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; and Roger Nolan, PhD, Calvert Research Institute, with whom CureDM has also partnered on several of these studies.
About CureDM
CureDM, Inc., is located in the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research at the Lankenau Hospital campus in Wynnewood, PA. CureDM expects to file and IND for HIP in mid 2009 and is currently working on the aggressive development of its novel technology. For more information about CureDM, visit www.curedm.com.
About LIMR
Founded in 1927, the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research center located in suburban Philadelphia on the campus of the Lankenau Hospital. The faculty and staff at the Institute are dedicated to advancing an understanding of the causes of cancer and heart disease. They use this information to help improve diagnosis and treatment of these diseases as well as find ways to prevent them. They are also committed to extending the boundaries of human health and well-being through technology transfer and education directed at the scientific, clinical, business and lay public communities. For more information visit our web site at www.limr.org.
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Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Tava Shanchuk
610-645-3429
www.limr.org
Erin DeStefano
(610) 645-8144
Tava Shanchuk
610-645-3429
www.limr.org
Erin DeStefano
(610) 645-8144
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