Children who are found to be at high risk, have the opportunity to participate in the POInT, a study investigating whether oral insulin can delay or prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong disease that means that the body stops producing the vital hormone insulin. In Sweden, children are also screened for celiac disease, i.e. gluten intolerance. Children who are found to be at a high risk of developing celiac disease are offered participation in another study, PreCiSe (Prevention of Celiac disease in Skåne).
POInT is active in five European countries (Germany, Belgium, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and started in November 2017. In Sweden, the screening began in autumn 2018 under the leadership of Helena Elding Larsson, researcher at Lund University and Skåne University Hospital.
"We are glad that together we have now screened 100,000 children in GPPAD," says Helena Elding Larsson. This shows that families understand that type 1 diabetes is a serious disease and that they want to find out their own child's risk of becoming ill. It also means that we are well on our way towards the goal of screening 300,000 newborn babies around Europe by 2022. And of course we hope that we can offer the children in the risk zone an effective treatment while they are involved in POInT, that would mean a big step towards our vision of a world without type 1 diabetes. But the families already have the advantage of having been screened because they are getting advice and good medical care from the personnel in the study.”
The Meiringer family of Germany, whose twins Ben and Daniel are participating in the POInT study, say:
"When we had the opportunity to participate in screening for a high risk of type 1 diabetes, we quickly decided to screen our children. It feels good to know that we are doing everything we can to ensure that they do not have to live with this disease – and of course we want to support the research. In this way, we can help families who are in the same situation as us in the future.”
The screening is done using a blood test that consists of a few drops of blood either from the umbilical cord at birth or from the back of the hand. It costs nothing to take the sample, which can be taken from birth up to four months of age.
Contact
Helena Elding Larsson, researcher at Lund University, pediatrician at Skåne University Hospital and responsible for POInT in Sweden: helena [dot] elding_larsson [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se, 0768871660 or 040-337676
Facts/POInT
POInT (Primary Oral Insulin therapy) is a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study that recruits infants between four and seven months. Children receive a small daily dose of insulin powder, or a placebo, by mouth along with food up to three years of age. The goal is to accustom the immune system to insulin because insulin and the cells that manufacture insulin in the pancreas are those that are destroyed by the autoimmune reaction that leads to type 1 diabetes. In previous studies, oral insulin has been shown to have high safety without affecting blood sugar.
Facts/GPPAD
GPPAD (The Global Platform for the Prevention of Autoimmune Diabetes) was established in 2015. It is an international infrastructure for studies in type 1 diabetes. The studies include children with a high genetic (hereditary) risk of type 1 diabetes and the aim is to prevent their own immune system from attacking the insulin-producing beta cells, which precedes the clinical diagnosis. GPPAD is funded by the American foundation The Leona M. And Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
Facts/Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Insulin is a vital hormone that transports sugar (glucose) from the food we eat into the bloodstream, so that the cells can assimilate the nutrients. If the body cannot produce enough insulin, the sugar remains in the blood, which can lead to life-threatening conditions. People with type 1 diabetes must therefore take insulin themselves, with syringes or other aids, for the rest of their lives. The disease also involves an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and damage to the eyes, kidneys and nervous system, which can lead to premature death.