> Stage 3 diabetes treatments are so easy to test, too.
I agree with this.
As for the rest, I appreciate your optimism but I think this recent discussion [1] captures how dire the situation remains for t1d. For example, GLP-1 drugs are not approved for treatment for t1d despite overwhelming evidence that they are useful. Or “We’re really just starting to figure out how to safely and effectively manage weight with lifestyle changes for Type 1 diabetics.” Stem cell miracles have been promising for years [2] and I don’t agree that the situation today is meaningfully different. The recent success with implanted cells is hopeful but the patient was already on immunosuppressants, so the result doesn’t generalize. Despite the overwhelming amount of money thrown at this, a cure is always just around the corner.
I will hopefully reduce your pessimism on one account: just because drugs are not available generally doesn’t mean they aren’t available off-label. Sometimes you need to get a few prescriptions going abroad before you can convince your doctors to keep prescribing them. That is possible now, I am a t1d on a GLP-1 antagonist now.
Cell transplant once every 5 years can be done globally, right? We can do it in China if the laws are better there.
With the trials, I’m also not so pessimistic. This is much larger scale and its stage 3 — not one offs in a lab.
Open your mind to the possibility that maybe things are a bit more optimistic than you believe. I remember when closed loop pumps were about 5 years away for decades ;)
I agree with this.
As for the rest, I appreciate your optimism but I think this recent discussion [1] captures how dire the situation remains for t1d. For example, GLP-1 drugs are not approved for treatment for t1d despite overwhelming evidence that they are useful. Or “We’re really just starting to figure out how to safely and effectively manage weight with lifestyle changes for Type 1 diabetics.” Stem cell miracles have been promising for years [2] and I don’t agree that the situation today is meaningfully different. The recent success with implanted cells is hopeful but the patient was already on immunosuppressants, so the result doesn’t generalize. Despite the overwhelming amount of money thrown at this, a cure is always just around the corner.
[1] https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/type-1-diabetes-research
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16278164/