A new study indicates that rituximab (anti-CD20),an antibody used to treat certain cancers and rheumatoid arthritis, may also have potential in treating type 1 diabetes.

The antibody, rituximab (anti-CD20), depletes B cells. Experimental evidence in mutant mice indicates that B cells play a role in autoimmune diseases by interacting with T cells of the immune system. It is T cells that destroy insulin-producing cells directly in the pancreas, leading to type 1 diabetes.

"Our paper shows, for the first time, that after successful B cell depletion, regulatory cells emerge that can continue to suppress the inflammatory and autoimmune response even after the B cells return," said Li Wen, senior research scientist in the division of endocrinology. "Even more strikingly, we found that these regulatory cells include both B and T cells."

The study has been published this month in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Source: Yale