Rafid Al-Hallaf and Zainab Agha, working with Johns Hopkins University, have developed a novel antibody-based treatment that shows promise in selectively targeting autoimmune attacks in type 1 diabetes, potentially transforming disease management.
Rafid Al-Hallaf and Zainab Agha, a couple who began their research careers in Cairns after moving to Australia in 2013 to study immunology at James Cook University, are part of a Johns Hopkins University team behind early work on a potential new treatment for type 1 diabetes. The research, published in the Journal of Immunology, explores a more targeted way of tackling the disease by aiming at the autoimmune attack that destroys insulin-producing cells rather than simply replacing insulin. According to Diabetes Australia, about 134,000 Australians are living with type 1 diabetes, while broader diabetes figures show the condition remains a major public health burden nationwide.
The Johns Hopkins team, led by Abdel-Rahim Hamad, identified an antibody dubbed x-mAb after finding that immune cells from people with type 1 diabetes were producing a previously unrecognised type of antibody. Hamad described current immunotherapy as broad-brush treatment, while the new approach is designed to act more selectively on the rogue T cells involved in attacking the pancreas. In mouse experiments, all 16 animals treated in the early stage of disease returned to normal blood sugar levels, while none of the placebo group did. In a separate pre-diabetes trial, about 70% of treated mice remained free of disease for the rest of the three-month study.
Al-Hallaf said the results were “really promising”. St Vincent’s Institute immunologist Thomas Kay, who was not involved in the work, said the findings point to a long-sought goal in autoimmunity: a therapy that is specific enough to avoid suppressing the wider immune system. He welcomed the idea as creative, but also noted the mouse studies were short and said longer follow-up would be needed to understand whether the effect lasts. Kay added that moving from successful animal research to the end of human trials would likely take at least a decade, probably longer, and any human study would first need clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration.
For Al-Hallaf, the work also carries a personal dimension. He said his family still owns a home in Cairns and hopes to return there eventually. He also believes the same immune-cell target could have broader medical uses, including for skin cancer in Far North Queensland, where rates are among the highest in Australia. The Johns Hopkins team says it now wants to characterise the cells further to see whether the antibody could affect cancer in animals as well as diabetes.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
