A team of researchers from the CSL and the University of Melbourne has discovered a potential breakthrough for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in a drug that has been shown to prevent the development of the disease reverse its progression in animal testing.

 

Professor Joe Proietto the coordinator for the Diabetes, Obesity and Endocrinology Research Domain at the University of Melbourne and a clinician at Austin Health says that this discovery represents an entirely new approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

 

“The results generated through this international collaboration represent a major breakthrough and provide for a new way of thinking about the treatment of type 2 diabetes,” said Professor Proietto.

 

The drug candidate works by blocking the signaling of a protein known as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B (VEGF-B) and prevents fat from accumulating in ‘wrong’ places, such as in muscles and in the heart. The drug allows cells within these tissues to respond to insulin, allowing blood glucose to be restored to normal levels.

 

“There is a need for new treatment strategies for type 2 diabetes as existing treatments can cause adverse reactions and their effects can wear off,” Professor Proietto said.

 

Based on the latest findings, CSL is considering options for testing the theory in people with type 2 diabetes as well as those who are at-risk of developing the disease.