Type 1 diabetes vaccine shows promise in small trial

The DNA-based vaccine is designed to switch off the part of the immune system responsible for destroying the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. Its novelty lies in the fact it does the opposite of conventional vaccines, which are designed to boost immune responses. Lawrence Steinman, one of the paper’s senior authors, says: “We’re very excited […]

The DNA-based vaccine is designed to switch off the part of the immune system responsible for destroying the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. Its novelty lies in the fact it does the opposite of conventional vaccines, which are designed to boost immune responses. Lawrence Steinman, one of the paper’s senior authors, says: “We’re very excited by these results, which suggest that the immunologist’s dream of shutting down just a single subset of dysfunctional immune cells without wrecking the whole immune system may be attainable.”