Dr. Faustman  announced in 2001 that she could reverse type 1 diabetes in mice. Today, 10 years later, all the work on type 1 diabetes done in the Faustman Lab is done on humans. Furthermore, the reason work is still being done, a decade later, on this revolutionary treatment to reverse type 1 diabetes – is because it’s working, despite naysayers.

BCG a cheap, generic drug that has been used for decades as a vaccination against tuberculosis. It is the star of the show in reversing type 1 diabetes.  

Phase 1, in human participants, showed that once the autoimmune attack stopped – small amounts of insulin were produced. The end result of this phase showed participants who had been diabetic for an average of 15 years began to briefly produce small amounts of insulin when the autoimmune attack was interrupted.

Phase 2 is the next step. This phase will involve repeat BCG vaccinations to refine dosing and identify how frequently patients would need to be treated to sustain the beneficial effects of BCG vaccination.

The cost of Phase 2 is estimated to be about $25 million. This past summer, fundraising efforts were able to reach the first goal of $8.5 million. The Faustman Lab team has begun determining the criteria to be used in designing Phase 2. Phase 2 is estimated to begin enrollment as early as the end of 2012.

Support the Faustman Lab with a gift today. The gift from the Faustman Lab could be the ultimate gift for people and families affected by type 1 diabetes!