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| A photo of insulin pen injectors. [Photo/Asianewsphoto] |
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) published an article on the pathology of the type 1 diabetes (T1D) on Feb 24, 2015.
The research was a joint effort by the Touchstone Diabetes Center, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and REMD Biotherapeutics Inc. from the US, and the Beijing Cosci-REMD Biotherapeutics Inc.
The article comprehensively explained the pathology of T1D and came up with a revolutionary treatment theory which centered on stimulating the glucagon passage.
Based on the discovery, the researchers successfully proposed a new concept of developing glucagon reception (GCGR) antagonizing antibodies and verified the concept on rats. The researchers found that without external insulin, the glucagon reception (GCGR) antagonizing antibody medicines are able to effectively reduce the composition of glucose and prevent a series of side effects brought by insulin.
Yan Hai, cofounder of Beijing Cosci-REMD Biotherapeutics Inc. and the second author of the article, explained the difference between the new treatment and traditional insulin therapy.
"Insulin and glucagon are like yin and yang," Yan said. "The function of glucagon is promoting the composition of glucose, while the function of insulin is adjusting the metabolism of glucose. To make it simple, glucagon promotes glucose, while insulin reduces glucose."
Secreted by the pancreas islet in the pancreas, insulin prevents the secretion of glucagon. In patients with T1D, the cells producing insulin in their body die, so the human body fails to produce insulin which leads to an uncontrollable increase of glucose.
External insulin has been the only treatment of T1D for nearly a century since the discovery of insulin in 1921. But external insulin fails to effectively restrain the secretion of glucagon, which has long term damage to the cardiovascular system. In addition, the use of insulin may lead to a low glucose level, which is fatal when serious.
This new research provides a measurement to reduce the glucose at root without relying on insulin.
Yan graduated from Nanjing University in Biology in 1982 and received a PhD from the Medical College of Cornell University in the US. He has more than two decades' experience in developing antibody medications.
Beijing Cosci-REMD Biotherapeutics Inc. is an innovative high-technology business located in the Zhongguancun Innovative Demonstrative Area. The company is a global leader in promoting G-protein coupling antibody medicines. One of the core products of the company is the glucagon reception (GCGR) antagonizing antibody medicine.
The institutions involved in this article are all global leaders in diabetes research. One of the leaders of the research, Professor Roger H. Unger, is a scholar of the American Academy of Science with more than five decades' experience in the industry and many awards.
Unger first came up with the idea of restraining glucagon to treat T1D in 1975, but has not found an effective pharmacological measurement. Beijing Cosci-REMD Biotherapeutics Inc. has the first glucagon reception (GCGR) antagonizing antibody medicine in the world, which effectively justifies the concept during animal tests.
The company provided antibody samples, capital, and funds for pharmacological research.
