JDRF Research

Cancer Drugs Reverse Diabetes in Mice

JDRF-funded researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have shown that two common cancer drugs can block and reverse type 1 diabetes in mice. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was led by Jeffrey Bluestone, Ph.D., director of the Diabetes Center at UCSF and an expert in the field of autoimmunity.

The drugs—marketed as Gleevec and Sutent—prevented mice from developing type 1 diabetes, and put 80 percent of mice that already had the disease into remission. Both drugs work by blocking a type of enzyme that triggers cell growth and division and plays a key role in inflammation.

One of the most noteworthy findings, the researchers said, was that Gleevec led to sustained remission in the majority of mice long after treatment had ended. The study was conducted as part of the Immune Tolerance Network, a JDRF-funded international research consortium. JDRF will continue to follow progress in this field and will explore the potential to translate these findings into treatments.

Key Point: According to Teodora Staeva, Ph.D., director of strategic planning in JDRF’s autoimmunity program, the findings suggest that some drugs that are successfully used in cancer may provide an important new therapeutic approach for new onset type 1 diabetes.