UCLA RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NEW WAY TO PREVENT IMMUNOTHERAPYINDUCED TYPE 1 DIABETES

A team of researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre has identified a potential new strategy to prevent and even reverse immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced type 1 diabetes – a rare but life-threatening side effect of cancer immunotherapy – by using an existing class of autoimmune drugs.

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The study, published in JCI Insight, identifies a new group of immune cells involved in the development of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced type 1 diabetes and shows that JAK inhibitors, which are already FDA-approved for conditions like psoriasis and arthritis, can stop the autoimmune attack on insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and in some cases, even reverse the damage in preclinical models.

The findings point to a new way to protect patients from this serious endocrine-related complication of cancer immunotherapy – one that currently has no effective way to prevent or reverse its effects – without compromising the effectiveness of their cancer treatment.