In the United States, 80 people are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes every day (“About Us”). The disease is the result of the autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas(“Gene Therapy for…”). The pancreas can no longer produce insulin to respond to glucose; this means the glucose can no longer be used for energy, and the person experiences irregular glucose levels (Schneider). There is no cure. Insulin injections are the only effective treatment, and they must be given multiple times per day. Dr. Hans Sollinger, Professor of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, is determined to develop another solution that is affordable, simple, available to everyone, and does not require daily insulin injections (“Gene Therapy for…”).
For years, Sollinger has been performing …show more content…
If success ensues, testing can begin on naturally diabetic dogs (“Research”). A 2013 study led by Dr. Fatima Bosch (Director of the Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy) set the research off on the right path. The researchers injected 5 lab dogs with two genes: insulin and glucokinase. An adeno-associated virus was used as a vector for transmission. The non-pathogenic virus could safely infect the cells of the dogs’ skeletal muscles, which do not divide. This means only one injection would be required. The study proved successful; the dogs maintained normal glucose levels for almost four years, and no signs of hypoglycemia - a common side effect of many other treatments - were evident (“Gene Therapy Used…”). The next step is to perform testing on pet dogs who are naturally diabetic. At the University of Wisconsin’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, 40 dogs are ready with the permission of their owners. Dr. Sollinger is optimistic: metabolically, he explains, a diabetic dog is just like a diabetic child. “If it works in dogs, there is no reason it shouldn’t work in man”
For years, Sollinger has been performing …show more content…
If success ensues, testing can begin on naturally diabetic dogs (“Research”). A 2013 study led by Dr. Fatima Bosch (Director of the Center of Animal Biotechnology and Gene Therapy) set the research off on the right path. The researchers injected 5 lab dogs with two genes: insulin and glucokinase. An adeno-associated virus was used as a vector for transmission. The non-pathogenic virus could safely infect the cells of the dogs’ skeletal muscles, which do not divide. This means only one injection would be required. The study proved successful; the dogs maintained normal glucose levels for almost four years, and no signs of hypoglycemia - a common side effect of many other treatments - were evident (“Gene Therapy Used…”). The next step is to perform testing on pet dogs who are naturally diabetic. At the University of Wisconsin’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, 40 dogs are ready with the permission of their owners. Dr. Sollinger is optimistic: metabolically, he explains, a diabetic dog is just like a diabetic child. “If it works in dogs, there is no reason it shouldn’t work in man”