Diabetics Who suffer from pain, tingling, and numbness in the Hands and Feet may now have a Drug to fight these symptoms.

Discovery Could Lead to New Therapies for Diabetics

An enzyme previously identified as playing a role in peripheral neuropathy induced by cancer chemotherapy also plays a role in peripheral neuropathy caused by diabetes. The significance of the identification of a common molecular mechanism is that many more patients could potentially benefit from drugs that target this mechanism.

From article, (Peripheral neuropathy is a potentially disabling condition affecting up to 40 million Americans that causes, pain, tingling and numbness in the hands and feet. Treatments exist for alleviating pain, but the development of treatments to prevent or reverse nerve degeneration has been stalled by a lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

"This finding means that the drug candidates we have identified to treat chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy could potentially be used to treat peripheral neuropathy that is caused by diabetes as well," Rieger said.

New research by MDI Biological Laboratory scientist Sandra Rieger, Ph.D., and her team has demonstrated that an enzyme she had previously identified as playing a role in peripheral neuropathy induced by cancer chemotherapy also plays a role in peripheral neuropathy caused by diabetes.

The significance of the identification of a common molecular mechanism is that many more patients could potentially benefit from drugs that target this mechanism. In earlier research, Rieger identified two drug candidates for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy that she is seeking to move into human clinical trials.

"Peripheral neuropathy is a major and growing health problem," said Kevin Strange, Ph.D., president of the MDI Biological Laboratory. "The identification of the mechanism underlying glucose-induced peripheral neuropathy means that millions of patients could potentially benefit from the development of drugs that influence this pathway."

In previous research in zebrafish, Rieger identified two compounds that prevent and reverse peripheral neuropathy caused by exposure to Taxol, or paclitaxel, a common cancer chemotherapy agent. The compounds are the subject of a pending patent originally filed in 2016 by the MDI Biological Laboratory.

The recent study, published in theJournal of Diabetes and Its Complications, tested the effectiveness of one of these compounds in preventing glucose-induced peripheral neuropathy. The study found the compound to be effective in zebrafish and in mice, which are mammals like humans.

"The fact that this compound works in two such disparate species makes it more likely it will work in humans too," Rieger noted.)

For More Info