TrialNet launches study to test JAK inhibitors in type 1 diabetes

Seattle, Washington Aug 2, 2023 (Issuewire.com) - TrialNet researchers are testing two promising new treatments to see if either or both can preserve insulin production in people recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the TrialNet JAKPOT T1D Study will test abrocitinib and ritlecitinib, a new class of autoimmune treatments called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. If either or both treatments are successful, they may be studied in earlier stages of the disease to see if they can prevent or delay clinical diagnosis.

TrialNet researchers believe JAK inhibitors may be able to calm the immune system response that harms insulin-making beta cells. Continuing to make even a small amount of insulin helps keep blood glucose levels in the normal range, lowering the risk of long-term complications.

"An abundance of clinical and preclinical evidence suggests that treatment using JAK inhibitors may have efficacy in T1D," said Carmella Evans-Molina, MD, Ph.D., JAKPOT T1D Study Chair and TrialNet Principal Investigator at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "Abrocitinib and ritlecitinib have well-defined and distinct targets and molecular effects consistent with their possible ability to interfere with autoimmunity and preserve beta cell function."

The study will enroll 78 people between the ages of 12 and 35 diagnosed with T1D in the past three months. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: one group will get abrocitinib, one will get ritlecitinib, and one will get a placebo (looks like a study drug but has no active ingredients). Neither the participants nor the study team will know who is in which group until the end of the study.

JAK inhibitors are being used and studied in other autoimmune diseases. Abrocitinib is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat eczema. Ritlecitinib is being studied as a treatment for several autoimmune diseases, including alopecia, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, vitiligo, and rheumatoid arthritis.

As with any medical intervention, there are benefits and risks to participating in this study. For more information about this and other TrialNet studies, visit trialnet.org/our-research.

About TrialNet

Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), primarily through the Special Diabetes Program, TrialNet is the largest clinical trial network ever assembled to change the course of type 1 diabetes. TrialNet offers free risk screening for relatives of people with type 1 diabetes and innovative clinical studies testing ways to maintain insulin production before and after diagnosis. To learn more, visit trialnet.org.

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