Gene Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes Moves a Step Closer to Reality

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is as-suming pandemic proportions and is currentlyestimated at 285 million cases (1). Although mostcases are due to obesity-associated type 2 DM, there is also an increase in the annual prevalence of type 1 DM (2). It is estimated that 10 % of the diabetic population have type 1 DM. Both forms of DM are associated with a long-term risk of microvascular and macrovascular complications (3) and the immediate risk of hypoglycemia. There is abundant evidence that attainment of near normoglycemia will reduce the risk of complications as-sociated with DM (4). However, attainment of near nor-moglycemia in patients with type 1 DM is limited by the occurrence of hypoglycemia. Patients with hypoglycemic unawareness are particularly prone to this problem as a limiting factor for achieving the required glycemic con-trol. DM clinics globally have many patients with type 1 DM in whom recurrent hypoglycemia and the phenomeno