Protein attacks insulin production.

• Position: Protein causing type 1 diabetes

Standford University researchers have identified a protein that appears to be a root cause of type 1 diabetes, a disease that affects roughly one out of every 500 Americans. In experiments using mice prone to diabetes, they also found that early exposure to this protein can prevent the disease from developing. These findings may lead to a treatment that stops diabetes before it starts - though any such use is at least several years off, cautions postdoctoral fellow Roland Tisch.

Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes is caused by a misguided immune system that attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It now appears that a protein called glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) is at least partially responsible for provoking the attack. GAD, a normal component of nerve cells as well as the insulin-producing beta cells, was one of five proteins tested by the Stanford researchers. "Our work suggests that GAD is one antigen that appears to have a critical role in the rise of diabetes," Tisch indicates. "We asked, |Which out of his group will turn out to be the most important culprit? ... GAD turns out to be the most significant culprit, but there may be others we haven't tested yet."

To identify the...