Bayhill Therapeutics and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation announce research col...(l milestones expected to be reached by t...)

Through its IDDP program, JDRF has funded some 25 companies, representing approximately $29 million in diabetes science.

"Our partnership with Bayhill Therapeutics reflects JDRF's commitment to accelerating the pace of science leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes," said Dr. Richard A. Insel, JDRF Executive Vice President, Research. "Bayhill's DNA vaccine protocol has the potential to negate the autoimmune process causing type 1 diabetes, which must be addressed to cure the disease."

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that results from the immune system attacking and destroying insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It affects children, adolescents, and adults, and last for life. Tight control of blood glucose is critical to both the long- and short-term health of patients. Short-term effects of poor glucose control include diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a condition that can lead to coma. Long-term effects include elevated glucose levels, blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. In order to keep blood glucose at or near normal levels, patients require the life-long administration of insulin, which is the only approved therapy for type 1 diabetes.

BHT-3021 is a plasmid encoding proinsulin designed to tolerize the immune system, thereby turning off the self directed immune attack against the islet cells. This product candidate's potential to stabilize or improve glucose control by eliminating the autoimmune response could lead to reduced insulin dependence and long-term complications of type 1 diabetes.

Patient enrollment is currently underway in a Phase I/II placebo-controlled clinical trial of BHT-3021 to evaluate safety, pharmacodynamics, immune tolerance and pancreatic function in patients with T1D. Preliminary data from the trial have been pos
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