Doctors believe they may have moved one step closer to a treating diabetes with a pill, thereby eliminating the need for needles. The treatment is based on therapy that is currently in clinical trials against pancreatic cancer, and research has revealed that it might potentially slow the progression of Type 1 diabetes.

The cells in our body develop through a complex pathway of growth and maturation. There is a family of proteins known as Ras proteins that are involved in cell differentiation and survival and thus play an important role in this development. When certain mutations occur in the Ras gene, it malfunctions and can become permanently activated, resulting in the formation of cancer cells, which can then develop into a tumor. According to previous research, up to 30% of human tumors contain one of these mutations in the Ras gene.

Doctors in Tel Aviv have developed a drug that targets Ras mutated proteins. Interestingly, the drug in question, known as “anti-Ras FTS,” has been shown to work against certain autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis and lupus. With this in mind, scientists then decided to see if the anti-Ras FTS had any effect on type-1 diabetes, itself an autoimmune disease, and preliminary results have indicated that it might indeed help restore the function of insulin.

What they found was that by blocking Ras expression with the drug, they were able to increase expression of a certain immune system regulatory protein known as Foxp3, which is in turn known to regulate T-cells, a vital component of our immunity.

From there, researchers theorized that by increasing expression of T-cells, the progression of diabetes might be slowed, and that appears to be exactly what happened. Pre-diabetic mice were separated into two groups: one that received anti-Ras FTS, and the other given no drug at all. By the end of the experiment, 82% of the untreated mice came down with diabetes, compared to only 16% of the treated group. Furthermore, insulin production in the beta cells of the treated mice increased relative to the untreated mice.

While human testing is still a ways off, it could come sooner than usual because anti-Ras FTC is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer, so it has already been tested for safety and toxicity. If it were shown to be a safe and effective treatment for type-1 diabetes in humans, clinical trials could begin in as little as five years.

Diabetes currently affects over 20 million children and adults in the United States. It is estimated that 5-10% of Americans who are diabetic are affected by type-1 diabetes, whereby their bodies no longer produces insulin, which is essential for the breakdown of sugar. Consequently, they must go through regular insulin injections in order to survive.

For more information, talk to your physician or check out the website for the American Diabetes Association.