Groundbreaking Diabetes Drug Could Transform Treatment Worldwide
A potential game-changer in the treatment of type 1 diabetes is now in early human trials, thanks to researchers in Queensland, Australia. If successful, this new drug could dramatically reduce — or possibly eliminate — the need for daily insulin injections, and even help prevent the disease from developing in the first place.
The experimental drug, known as ASITI-201, is currently being tested in a world-first clinical trial involving five patients, including Brisbane mom Cecelia Wickstroem Giraldi. After developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy, her blood sugar levels never fully returned to normal — and last year, she became one of over 120,000 Australians diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
“The standard treatment today is insulin, which only replaces what the body’s missing,” explained Professor Ranjeny Thomas from the University of Queensland. “We’re aiming to go after the root cause.”
The drug has been in development for 25 years and has already shown promising results in animal testing. It combines pancreatic proteins and immune cells with vitamin D to retrain the immune system, preventing it from attacking the pancreas.
“We’re trying to stop that autoimmune attack, which could reduce or even eliminate the need for insulin,” Thomas said.
Clinical trials are expanding, and researchers are currently recruiting an additional 31 participants. Eligible candidates must be 18 or older and have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes within the last five years.
If proven effective in humans, ASITI-201 could be a revolutionary breakthrough — not just in Australia, but around the globe.
