Researchers develop vaccine for virus associated with type 1 diabetes

According to many observations, certain virus infections may play a part in the autoimmune attack that leads to type 1 diabetes. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and at the universities of Jyväskylä and Tampere have now produced a vaccine for these viruses in the hope that it could provide protection against the disease. The study has been published May 6, 2020 in the scientific journal Science Advances. While an estimated 50,000 Swedes and 50, 000 Finns live with type 1 diabetes (sometimes known as juvenile diabetes) the causes of the disease remain unknown. There is a genetic component, but also environmental factors are needed for the disease to develop. One such factor believed to be significant in type 1 diabetes is infections caused by an extremely common group of enteroviruses. The sub-group in question is the Coxsackie B (CVB) family and it comprises of six strains that can give rise to the common cold. However, CVBs...