a nanovaccine to reverse diabetes in mice

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/04/diabetes-nanoparticles-rodent-research.html

Researchers are finding clever ways to explore nanotechnology for medical therapies. In a study published Thursday in the journal Immunity, researchers used a "nanovaccine" to reverse diabetes in mice with the disease. In Type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing pancreatic cells are destroyed by T-cells. T-cells are needed in many other functions in the body, however, to fight infections and foreign substances. In diabetes, good T-cells battle against other types of T-cells that cause the disease. The researchers created a vaccine consisting of nanoparticles coated with a protein to help the immune system stop the action of the aggressive T-cells. The diabetic mice receiving the vaccine eventually developed normal blood sugar levels.