Massachusetts General Hospital launches phase II trial of BCG vaccine to reverse Type I Diabetes

After having demonstrated a statistically significant response of patients with autoimmune type I diabetes to the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, a vaccine normally used against tuberculosis (TB), the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is now starting a phase II trial. In the trial, 150 adults with long-term type I diabetes will be randomized to receive two injections of either BCG or placebo four weeks apart and then a single injection annually for the next four years.

During the proposed 5-year study, the investigators will see whether repeated injections of the TB vaccine BCG can suppress the immune system attack that causes type I diabetes and improve blood sugar levels in people with long-standing diabetes. Reinout van Crevel and Hazel Dockrell recently attended a meeting in Verona organized by the PI of the trial, Dr Faustmann, to discuss the potential role of BCG in treating diabetes and other autoimmune diseases.

Read the full article here.