Type-1 Diabetes

Zhittya Genesis Medicine is investigating a new approach to Type 1 diabetes through its Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 (FGF-1) therapy. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Emerging research suggests this attack may begin with injury to the tiny blood vessels that surround and support those cells. Beta cells depend on these vessels to produce insulin at all, and published studies show that vascular damage appears before immune cells arrive. FGF-1 is a powerful stimulator of angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, and Zhittya believes repairing this vascular foundation may address a root cause rather than a symptom. The same mechanism may also help with the blood vessel complications that drive most of the long-term harm in diabetes.