Aussies in type-2 diabetes trial that gently treats this part of the gut

This new type-2 diabetes treatment has been shown to not only work but may also become a one-off way to control the disease and eliminate daily insulin injections.

A new way to treat type-2 diabetes has been shown to not only work, but potentially to offer a one-off treatment to control the disease and eliminate daily insulin injections.

Developed by a team of international and Australian scientists, the results of a trial of the procedure will be presented at the American Diabetes Association Conference in Illinois this week.

The world first trial was led by the Australian team with Australian patients.

Called ReCET, it is an endoscopic procedure similar to a gastroscopy that is performed under a general anaesthetic and uses a gentle electrical pulse to regenerate cells in the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine).

Associate Professor Neale Cohen from The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute explained it uses a catheter to deliver electrical pulses to eliminate poorly functioning cells and allow the regrowth of new healthy cells, without the need for cuts, scars or surgery.

Clinical scientist and endocrinologist Professor Elif Ekinci was also part of the team that developed the method and said ReCET holds the promise of a new way of treating Type 2 diabetes “long-term”.

University of Melbourne Professor Elif Ekinci heads diabetes trials at Austin Health and is the Director of the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations.

Professor Ekinci heads diabetes trials at Austin Health and is the Director of the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations, a national diabetes research centre headquartered at the University of Melbourne.

The Australian team also included experts from St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne and the BMI Clinic in Sydney.

“More results from randomised control trials are necessary and we have started recruiting for those, but these early results are encouraging and exciting,” Professor Ekinci said.

She said the cells in the duodenum play an important role in controlling blood sugar levels, but they do not work well in Type 2 diabetes patients.

More than one million Australians live with Type 2 diabetes and many rely on insulin injections to manage the condition.

Participants on the trial showed a “substantial improvement” in blood sugar control over 12 months. Some were also able to reduce their Type 2 diabetes medications and improve their quality of life and many had a reduction in cholesterol, triglycerides and weight.

More than one million Australians live with Type 2 diabetes and many rely on insulin injections to manage the condition which can be painful, costly and has health risks.

Professor Ekinci said ReCET paved the way for what may become a new treatment option for people with the condition.

“I think what’s really unique about this is that it will really help identify new ways of treating this condition and it highlights how important the duodenum is,” she said.

“It is one of the new options we have alongside some really good injectable treatments becoming available.

The scientists say the procedure could become a standard of care for people living with Type 2 diabetes.

“(But) this method will be good especially for people who still have high glucose levels even after they have tried tablets and injections like GLP1 treatments and insulin.”

Lead clinical investigator, gastroenterologist Dr Adrian Sartoretto from the BMI Clinic, said the most exciting part of the procedure was that it not only improved blood sugar control, weight and key diabetes markers, but trial participants had their blood sugar under control for longer and showed an improvement in energy levels and general health.

“While it’s still too early to say if it will become a standard of care we have some exciting data to build on as we now embark on a larger, final phase clinical trial where we’re hoping to demonstrate the same results,” Dr Sartoretto said.

“If we’re successful … then I think the ReCET procedure will become a standard of care for people living with Type 2 diabetes.”

People with Type 2 diabetes interested in the new study may register at www.recetstudy.com

Originally published as Aussies in type-2 diabetes trial that gently treats this part of the gut