Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.

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November 4, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"U.K. Researchers Testing Possible Diabetes Vaccine"

Associated Press (www.ap.org) (11/01/02)

Up to 3.2 million Americans have adult-onset diabetes, and an experimental vaccine, called DiaPep277, could reduce the need for insulin injections in about 25 percent of patients with the disease.  The University of Kentucky, along with four other sites across the country, is participating in a clinical trial involving DiaPep277 in which 20 adult-onset diabetes patients will receive the vaccine every three to six months for two years in order to test its effectiveness.  The hope is that DiaPep277 will help fight so-called "type 1 1/2" diabetes by safeguarding insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.  The vaccine previously proved effective in stopping the progression of juvenile-onset diabetes in animals and humans.

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