A very interesting finding has been discovered by a research team at McGill University's Department of Microbiology and Immunology.




Immunoregulatory T-cells regulate our body's autoimmune reactions. According to the abovementioned research team, in some individuals, such T-cells may become ineffective and become "lazy" overtime - thereby leading to the onset of type 1 diabetes.

In diabetes mellitus, or type 1 diabetes, insulin-producing beta islet cells in the pancreas are attacked and destroyed by the body's own immune system.

Patients must inject insulin on a regular basis or risk diabetic shock and death, and are also at increased risk for numerous secondary health problems, including blindness, heart attack and stroke.

According to Dr. Ciriaco A. Piccirillo, Canada Research Chair in Regulatory Lymphocytes of the Immune System, a leading figure in this research area and the study's lead author:

"The genetic and cellular mechanisms by which the immune system goes out of control and destroys the islets has been an enigma and an area of great interest over the last few decades. For the last several years, it's been postulated that non-functional regulatory T-cells are the critical mechanism, and this study proves it.

Regulatory CD4+ T-cells, whose development and function is dictated by the Foxp3 gene in mice and humans, have the primary function of pouring a cold shower on inflammatory responses. They suppress and regulate the function of various immune responses to microbes, tumors, allergens and transplants."

The said study was conducted on non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, which were genetically engineered to model human diabetes.

Findings are published in the January 2008 edition of the journal Diabetes.

Find more details from McGill University.

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