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At T1D Exchange, we work to improve the lives of people with T1D through research. If you could ask a T1D scientist anything about research, what questions would you want answered? Share in the comments, and your question may be featured in an upcoming article!
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What would be your estimate on a time that you think there could be a time where diabetics have a system(be it pump or type of new insulin and CGM), operation (cell replacement or mechanical pump), or even a vaccine to make diabetes less life threatening and a bit more easygoing? I guess the closest to a cure because I have all but given up for type 1’s since the concentration seems to be on type 2.
I would love to know what a non diabetics CGM readings would look like. It’s easy as a T1D to over-react to an increase in bg after eating, but I suspect it’s quite normal, but I’d love to see how high normal is and how soon after eating
Excellent question.
Recent book describes one non-diabetic’s look at her eating along with cgm readings. It is worth reading. What she learns about avoiding spikes can be applied to T1d.
Purchased May 2022
Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar
Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar
by Jessie Inchauspe | Apr 5, 2022
What questions ought you to be asking?
What are the most interesting things to talk about?
Is the fun of doing research mostly in
a)incremental advances,
b)breakthrough successes, or
c) creativity’s obsequious nonsense?
What/how insulin changes it’s potency when taken to correspond with amount of CHOs? And the time allotted?
Is there a true artificial pancreas insulin pump close to being approved by FDA where you don’t have to do anything other than make sure it has insulin in it? No figuring basal rates or bolus doses, and with glucagon?
Type 1 used to be called juvenile diabetes because it was usually diagnosed in childhood. Why are more adults getting Type 1 now? I became a T1 diabetic at age 66 (it’s now my fourth autoimmune disease). My endo and I knew it wasn’t T2 from day one.
Considering physical and mental health does research suggest the best ways a person with type 1 can take to live a healthy and active life?
I would like to get an update on islet cell transplantation. Is this a possibility for the near future as I have seen several articles which tell of the success of this procedure. Is there a “rejection” to the transplant as there is in organ transplants?
Autoimmune can mean a different virus for every T1D, but are we dealing with the same DNA that creates diabetes?
When I was 20, I was told that there would be a cure within 5 to 10 years. That was 41 years ago. Please tell me why there has been no cure? It is really depressing. Do you get depressed at the incremental increments in research when things were looking so positive 41 years ago. Or, do you like working in a field of research that has no hope of a positive outcome? Do you think, as many of us do, that big Pharma and companies that make billions from the diabetic supply side are actively stalling the advancement of a cure?
Thank you for your work.
I remember being told that as well, at diagnosis. (8 years old in 1979). It has been a ridiculously long wait. I expect it to kill me before a cure is shared.
I believe I have heard of a new pump which may be out within a few years. Diabetics would just input their weight and the pump would automatically give insulin without diabetics putting in the amount of carbohydrates that are to be eaten. Can this type of pump really work well with the types of insulins currently in use? If the pump reacts to changes in glucose and current insulins take awhile to start working, wouldn’t sugar levels first go too high before the insulin could start lowering the blood sugar?
Research on the effects of severe, recurrent hypoglycemic episodes have on cognitive impairment. Prior to the introduction of home glucose monitors in the early 80’s I had many, many severe hypoglycemic instances where I passed out and had seizures. What I want to know is if the hypoglycemic events cause cognitive issues. I would think they do but I haven’t seen any reasearch to confirm or document this.
I often wonder the same thing. I am sure my many severe low blood sugars have effected my memory, and my general thinking ability.
Ditto. Is it the cause of ADD, non-attentive tendencies that I have suffered from after being diagnosed with T1D in mid-childhood? Back then I had several seizure producing episodes of severe hypoglycemia and a few near seizure incidents at various stages in adulthood that required glucagon intervention. Has it caused some permanent neuro-cognative damage?
I’ve read several peer reviewed articles on hypoglycemia and “glutamate excitotoxicity,” which is a hallmark of several neuro-degenerative disorders. I asked basically the same question.
Yes. that happened to me for sure!!
Is anything being done in DNA/Gene research to cure diabetes?
Is anything being done in DNA/Gene research to cure autoimmune disorders (stop the immune system from attacking organs, endocrine systems, the human body?
If a cure ever comes along, will it be offered to people above 65 yrs old, or very long time diabetics?
(Quite honestly, I’ve given up hope for a cure for myself because of my age and length of time with T1D. )
Excellent question, as I, and many others, are in the “same boat.”
To Irine, Me also !!
Acknowledging the sophistication of the current technology (Dexcom G7, T Slim control IQ) what technological advances are on the horizon (not just smaller or more convenient versions of the same).
As T1Ds, we are all very different according to immediate environments, sizes, weights and colors of skins. Our pancreases are probably all very different. What are the true, including all, constants in T1Ds that we all share other than the need for insulin to sustain our lives?
Faster acting insulins. Pumps with insulin and glucagon. Can we really expect them anytime soon?
I am using Afrezza, inhalable insulin. Super fast acting, like in minutes, and stays in the system for an hour. Been
around 10 years!!!!! Just started using it. Game changer for correcting oops highs.
Can you explain to people who are hung up on the ‘big pharmacy makes too much money on the treatment to allow a cure’ why it is so difficult to cure ANY autoimmune disease?
Okay, this does not belong in this topic and they won’t let me delete it. Sorry.
Hello I’ve been a type 1 diabetic for 42 yrs. I use the echo pen from Novolog. Would it be possible to make that pen disposable like all the others. If the echo pen it’s damaged I don’t have anything else that I can use; with the disposable pen you get extra pens available just in case. Thank you.
Why hasn’t there been a cure?
How is the process of encuplisation coming a long and when might we expect a commercially viable application.
What makes it so difficult to cure an autoimmune disease like Type 1 Diabetes?
T1D and and T2D are two entirely different health challenge disease processes, each with it’s own set of unique circumstances and trajectories. They are not the same thing, nor do they have the same outcomes.
What can done to (1) prevent beta cell death in early stage T1 diabetes and (2) is there a way to preserve beta cell function to heal or reactivate damaged or dying beta cells in an affected pancreas?
I have been type 1 for 19 yrs
Controlled well till the last few months
Am now re- diagnosed as a type 2
Now take much insulin to try & stay under 200 — DR Hirsch (one of the best) not sure how to treat — says I am A- typical
Also in research with Radiant
Taking Metformin to correct this
Dealing with the side affects
Thanks for T-1D & your efforts. !!
Jim Zellerhoff.
I knew an adult who went from T2D to T1D, but I’ve never heard of T1D going to T2D. Please keep this forum updated, if you don’t mind sharing.
Addressing the “mental health” or “psycho-emotional” issues of living with diabetes has become a big focus and factor being studied and addressed in current diabetes research and overall treatment strategies. Living with T1D isn’t easy because it affects functions in one’s physical body, emotional feelings, and mental thought processes … in other words all aspects and parts of ourselves.
James – Sometimes a T1 PWD can develop insulin resistance and will be prescribed Metformin to facilitate insulin being delivered by pump or injections into the cells. Doesn’t mean you are now T2. It’s likely you just need some extra help, a boost from the Metformin, to enhance insulin sensitivity in your body.
How do extremely low glucose readings affect our brains in terms of the effects of glutamate excitotoxicity, which is a hallmark of Parkinson’s and other neuro-degenerative diseases? Is anyone doing research on how to counteract the effects?
What environmental( man made or naturally occurring) factors are most common with T1Ds? And if there are commonalities, can they be traced to an event or point of origin, regardless of liability?
People exposed to radiation from nuclear power plant failures and from nuclear bomb tests and nuclear weapons frequently cite high rates of cancer and diabetes.
What really causes T1D? I know the destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas, but could stress do that? or viruses? or what? I have no family history for T1D as many others.
Are there multiple genetic triggers for the development of autoimmune T1D?
How I’ve tested negative to every autoantibody test, MOODY, etc but still am T1D…
To my knowing, there is not even one published paper yet reflecting the reality of our daily life. There are so many variables out there affecting us that we can barely stay on top of the water. And we do stay on top, because we have no choice but to stay alive. We need scientifics to help us find strategies for every one decision we take every day, when health professionals are not available to answer quickly, or when they don’t know the answer because they don’t have T1D, or when it is more urgent to treat our daughter or son in the upcoming minutes than rush to the hospital, or to understand the dominos that lead us to a hypoglycemia and how to identify them earlier, or when we find ourselves alone in a free fall while our brain loses its functions, left only with our instincts to react… I would not ask any question, I would tell scientifics: “Please, help us build an artificial intelligence to support us whenever we need it, it is a matter of life and death to us, every f…g day of our life!
I wrote this in response to Claude LaForest, but it somehow got posted in the wrong thread. Sorry for the mistake. I wish this site still had an edit feature ….
Addressing the “mental health” or “psycho-emotional” issues of living with diabetes has become a big focus and factor being studied and addressed in current diabetes research and overall treatment strategies. Living with T1D isn’t easy because it affects functions in one’s physical body, emotional feelings, and mental thought processes … in other words all aspects and parts of ourselves.
What are the connections between multiple auto immune issues?
Why is it sometimes when you inject insulin it seems to have no effect, the blood sugars remain high.
What is the current status of an artificial pancreas? One where I would NOT have to take anti-rejection drugs?
I have often heard that diabetes may have been triggered by a virus. If this is confirmed then will it be possible to treat the virus (even though it has passed), and “cure” the diabetes?
Along the same lines, I know there has been work done with newly diagnosed diabetes patients and having them use stem cells to reverse their diabetes. However, the window for the treatment is extremely small for this solution to work. Has this study continued and has the window gotten larger in order to help more people?
How close are we to an accurate automated pump without the glucagon?
Why is the standard of care an A1C of 7.0 when we have ample proof that the co-morbidities caused by hyperglycemia start as the A1C rises above 5.0. Doctors don’t know how to teach patients to use insulin to properly achieve normal levels of blood glucose without hypos!
It’s not money holding us back from curing Type 1; the science has done it, but how do we get around big pharma, who use our “disability” for profit?
There are two popular sensors, Dexcom and Libre. Why can Libre sensors only be placed on the back of the arms where they can easily be knocked off, hurt if you try to sleep on your side, and bruise easily from being leaned on? This is the only place they’ve been tested and certified is the cheap and lazy answer. Dexcom can be placed anywhere, and work just fine. My insurance won’t cover Dexcom, so how about it? Why can’t Libre be placed anywhere too? It’s the same blood!!!
So in line with this question. I hope you insurance can get you Dexcom. I just switched back. I would suggest using a tagaderm patch over your Libre to help it from being knocked off.m
What is the biggest impediment to a cure, scientific, practical, financial or otherwise?
I just read something on the six different hormones in the pancreas, and that they are all killed off with T1D. Why is only one of these offered as a replacement (by injection). Do we not need all of these to function correctly to feel healthy?
Medical research science doesn’t know everything … in fact insulin and its function in the human body has always existed as a pancreatic endocrine hormone since the beginning of time when humans were made incarnate in the human body to live on planet Earth. Scientific awareness knowledge of it’s existence has only been around for the past 100 years so since it was “discovered” and isolated in the research lab work done by Banting, Best, and MacLeod. They uncovered the existence of insulin and with scientific applications of the times discovered a way to produce “synthetic” insulin. Thank goodness for the guiding light forces of creative energy and scientific thinking that lit the way for the discoveries they made.
And to add to my reply comment … I saw the article you are referring as well and it is apparent there is more research going on and more research beyond that to be done …
There’s so much more involved in diabetic control than just insulin, but injecting insulin is the easiest and least complicated (stress, activity, sleep, the natural release of glucose, dietary control…).
The advances in the last 10 years have been earth shattering for the daily management of Diabetes. I commend people who have been managing it for 40+ years! What advances do you see on the horizon as far as early detection, treatment and cure.
For pump users, I’d like a better understanding of how long insulin on board is working and how to factor that in when timing delivery of pre-food bolus.
Will there ever be a cure?? Seems like Diabetes is a money maker. I have been a diabetic for 68 years and still waiting for a cure.
While this isn’t a scientific question, at least it is probably easily answered. I’d like to see there the funding comes from for the research. As best I can tell (at least in the US) the $$ comes from the NIH (i.e. public funds) and non-profit orgs. Seeing those big pharma ads stating that any price controls would result in the end to research are BS.
If we are using crispr to modify cells for implantation in a bag why can’t we code them as liver cells and implant them in the liver as the recipients cells instead of them needing a bag to live in?
When is a cure possible, or at minimum, cutting edge treatment that is affordable to anyone in any country. What I am currently using is out of reach financial to 99% of the world.
When should we expect true interoperability? e.g. ability to select any CGM to work with insulin pump
Can science help with “curing” lipoatrophy? (and lipohypertrophy… and, I’m seeing there is also something called lipodystrophy, but I don’t know what it is.) Is this a topic that isn’t studied because of the relative infrequency of it showing up? What causes lipoatrophy?
Can science help with better diabetes management when gastroparesis is present?
Are there any studies that can help perimenopausal and menopausal T1D women figure out how to better ride that crazy rollercoaster?
Oh! Also…
I saw a graphic for the “Taxonomy of Burden” for “patients with chronic conditions” which illustrated how many decisions diabetics (amongst other chronic diseases) have to make daily/hourly/etc.
There are many people who can take on the burden of decision making, but some are not built personality-wise for the excruciating amount of decisions that must be made.
I believe there are one or two others who have mentioned this, but, is there anything science can do to relieve that burden of decision making?
And, I just thought of another thing:
Is there anything being done to help someone know when insulin isn’t being delivered properly from a pump? It can be difficult to know whether a high blood sugar is due to the pump not delivering insulin properly or some other factor (such as stress or a weird high after exercise.)
Is it possible to be allergic to alcohol wipes?
When will the technology to implant a pump be around. Also when will prices come down so everyone can afford to pump?
Why do some people seize when they are low and I’ve been as low as 19 and have been fine until I ate? Would also love to know why stacking is necessary to bring highs down? Why when I get up my BG is 90 and in range but if I don’t eat breakfast I end up high? Even though I had nothing to eat or drink? It’s like my body gets used to having blouses and if I don’t the BG goes high. I’m on a pump and was told I could not eat at times. Doesn’t work for me. Other times no matter how much I eat I am low, until it all catches up a day later.
Do hormonal changes such as puberty, pregnancy and menopause impact the auto immune system in a way that triggers auto immune responses causing various conditions such as t1d, vitiligo, coeliac, thyroid conditions
A couple of questions:
1. Are there any emerging efforts or technologies which can enable CGM-like measurement of other molecules impacted by T1D (i.e. insulin)?
2. Immunotherapy seems to be a very hot area at the moment, specifically with regards to cancer treatment. Do you think that any treatment methods in cancer-specific immunotherapy will translate into benefits for other diseases, including autoimmune disease?
3. What do you feel are the most exciting and promising developments in the lab that will make it to the clinic in the next 5 years?
#3
How close are scientists to developing a smart insulin that works only as needed and stops working when blood sugar is normal or low?
Given that each T1D has different reactions to differing events at differing at differing times, have you studied why this may be or what is causing the above?
Why aren’t there more studies on heart disease risk with only T1Ds? I have read peer reviewed medical articles that confirm that T1Ds were not studied exclusively in statin research. We were advised to be treated with statins even if our cholesterol was excellent and there were no other risk factors. I suffered from elevated A1c, weight gain, insulin resistance, extremely low cholesterol which led to vitamin D deficiency which caused respiratory problems and inability to exercise or enjoy leisure activities due to breathlessness and muscle pain. Doctors believed that any symptoms reported by patients were due to the “Nocebo effect” despite my improvement when I didn’t take statins for six months when I forgot to refill my prescription! I suffered these side effects from 2002-2016 when I finally found a doctor who took me seriously. We need to be treated as individuals with T1D, not treated based on studies on the majority of T2 studies.
I agree with you GiGi. (And, I’m sorry you spent so long taking a medication you didn’t need.)
We know that studies can be problematic if there isn’t a variety of people involved, but how to fix that is a huge question.
I tried to sign up for some studies a long time ago but was turned away because of my diabetes. So, whatever study it was had no data for diabetics.
And, each of us is SO different in SO many ways! It’s annoying to be placed in an actuarial table and made to conform to something that doesn’t fit!
I have been useing old school methods for 70 years without any major D problems… why ???… I am 90 years OLD.
Is there research to do that could minimize mood swings due to low blood sugars?
Are we any closer to making pancreas transplants not only a regular treatment, but an affordable one?
Do you think we’ll ever get to a fully automated, closed-loop glucose delivery and CGM system? Is an artifical pancrease something that we could really see within the next 25 years?
Do you think that stem cell transplants (becoming new islet cells) will cure T1D in the next 25 years?
Last I heard about beta cell transplants was that they last about three years, and then the same auto-immune problem kicks in, and it’s time to consider whether you can afford another transplant operation. Why not use CRISPR gene editing to solve the auto-immune problem? Is any research being done for T1Ds in this area?
if you cure type 1, how will big pharma top executives pay for their luxury sports cars and condos?
How do scientists choose what problems/questions to study?
Is the University of Virginia (UVA) Study Title: Adaptive Behavioral Control (ABC) in a Closed-Loop System: A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial legitimate? I was approached today via email about a 6 month clinical study. The person I spoke with indicated I would receive 6 months of Dexcom CGM Transmitters and sensors. When I asked why I had to use those supplied by UVA her answer was “it is a controlled study.” It sounds legitimate, but I’m a little unsure? Does the name Principal Investigator: Sue Brown, MD ring a bell with anyone? There is a payment to participants of $400/6 month study with partial payment if I drop out during the study. UVA will download an app onto my phone allowing UVA’s WIP application to download my Dexcom readings and suggest tweaks to my basal and bolus settings. My readings will be reviewed with suggested adjustments every 14 days. This is all in the name of tighter control. Can anyone verify this study?
Hi Don. All clinical trials in the US need to be registered at clinical trials.gov and are assigned an NCT number. You can search that website using key words, study site, etc to confirm legitimacy. The website will provide an overview of the study. If you are interested in possible participating in the study, you will be asked to sign a detailed consent form that spells out the details so you can make an informed choice if you want to proceed. Hope this helps! 😊
Hi Don –
I didn’t find an HCT number that Jneticdiabetic mentioned on the UVA school of medicine site. But, I did see an HSR# of 220300.
Then I went to “clinicaltrials.gov” (thanks to Jneticdiabetic!!) and searched. This website does list the study you are looking for with the 220300 being an NCT# (not HSR as listed on the “med.virginia.edu” website.)
In my opinion and if it were me, I would think it is legit. But, that is me. I hope that helps!
Autoimmune conditions can be prevalent but variant in families. No one else has type 1 diabetes in mine, but many others: Addisons, Lupus, MS, we all share thyroid conditions.
Would there be a way to genetically test and prevent this from happening at birth?
What are the causes of increases in blood sugar levels that are not connected to food or activity. My blood sugar levels will just increase while I’m sitting & If I don’t catch it, it will go into the 200s. Very frustrating
Why is a cure so difficult to find?
I am a type 1 diabetic for about 40 years. I follow intensive insulin therapy. I have noted that that weather conditions affect the insulin intake quite drastically. Has there been any research findings on this?
I wonder if looking at diabetes as merely an example of an auto-immune disease and trying to figure out why sometimes the impact is insulin producing cells versus other cells would be worthwhile.