Finnish professors working on vaccine against type 1 diabetes
Development of working vaccine could take years
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At least half of all cases of childhood diabetes could be prevented if a vaccine being developed in Finland lives up to expectations. Research so far has proven to be so promising that Sanofi Pasteur, one of the world's leading vaccine manufacturers, has joined the project.
The vaccine is being developed by Vactech, a company set up by two Finnish medical professors, Heikki Hyöty of the University of Tampere, and Mikael Knip of the University of Helsinki. The two established the company five years ago after their research revealed to them a possible cause of type 1, or juvenile onset diabetes.
Finnish researchers have placed a high priority on the matter, because the disease is spreading quickly in Finland.
Juvenile onset diabetes is five times more prevalent in Finland now than it was 50 years ago, with about 600 children under the age of 15 falling ill with the disease each year.
The researchers have examined hereditary factors, as well as the possible role of proteins contained in cows' milk. Professors Knip and Hyöty are taking part in a study being conducted in Oulu, Tampere, and Turku involving the screening of 100,000 children.
Also underway is a study on treatment, aimed at determining if the process leading to the onset of diabetes could be stopped with the help of a daily dose of insulin nasal spray. The process leading to diabetes is known to begin months, and sometimes even years before the disease actually breaks out.
One in five Finns have a hereditary risk of coming down with diabetes type 1. However, in Russian Karelia the disease is infrequent, in spite of a similar gene pool. Therefore, Hyöty and Knip believe that external factors determine whether or not a hereditary susceptibility for the disease is actually borne out.
They lay the blame on enteroviruses - the second-most common type of virus in humans.
"Some enteroviruses seek out cells that produce insulin. The virus destroys the cells while multiplying", Hyöty explains. "The enterovirus can also speed up the process that leads to diabetes", Knip adds.
Children with type 1 diabetes have been found to be infected with enteroviruses more frequently than others. Most enteroviruses cause nothing more serious than something similar to a mild flu.
Although enteroviruses are less common in Finland than they used to be, Hyöty and Knip feel that this does not contradict their findings. In fact, they say that it actually reinforces their assumption. The two point to another disease caused by the enterovirus - polio.
"Polio paralysis, a complication of polio infection, spread rapidly in the late 19th century in countries with good hygiene. The spread of polio virus in the population decreased, but the harm caused by it increased. Babies no longer got antibodies from their mothers, and the virus was able to destroy nerve cells in the spinal cord", Hyöty explains.
"We are now experiencing an epidemic of diabetes. Is this the same type of phenomenon?"
"Infections caused by enteroviruses have decreased, while cases of diabetes have increased", Knip adds. "Diabetes is like a complication of enterovirus infection."
It will be years before a possible vaccine is ready. A vaccine administered to small children would not necessarily bring complete protection against diabetes, as other factors can also be involved.
"In addition to viruses, some other external factor is needed to speed up the processes", Knip points out. One of these could be meticulous hygiene, which would explain the differences that exist between Finland and Russian Karelia.
About 100 different enteroviruses exist, and Vactech is now refining the viruses to be used in the production of the vaccine. If the product development proves successful, the company can refine the vaccine prototype into a ready product.
"Further research is expensive, and international financing will be necessary", says the company's CEO Raimo Harju.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 25.8.2006 - TODAY |
 Finnish professors working on vaccine against type 1 diabetes |
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