Gene therapy cures Type I diabetes in Beagles
Dogs can also suffer from Type 1 diabetes, in which the pancreas is damaged by an inappropriate immune response and no longer produces insulin. Just as for humans, the blood sugar of the dog must be monitored and insulin injected daily. Researchers working with diabetic beagles have been able to inject into a muscle the DNA that codes for the production of both insulin and glucokinase (an enzyme critical for blood sugar metabolism). After a single treatment, blood sugar levels of the dogs normalized, they recovered body weight, and they remained healthy more than 4 years after gene transfer. (more...)
Dogs can also suffer from Type 1 diabetes, in which the pancreas is damaged by an inappropriate immune response and no longer produces insulin. Just as for humans, the blood sugar of the dog must be monitored and insulin injected daily. Researchers working with diabetic beagles have been able to inject into a muscle the DNA that codes for the production of both insulin and glucokinase (an enzyme critical for blood sugar metabolism). After a single treatment, blood sugar levels of the dogs normalized, they recovered body weight, and they remained healthy more than 4 years after gene transfer. (more...)
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