Marlaina Goedel, 30, was just five years old when doctors diagnosed her with type 1 diabetes. Her sugar was so high that doctors were surprised she wasn't in a coma when they diagnosed her. Twenty-five years after her diagnosis, and a life filled with complications, Goedel is now cured thanks to a clinical trial therapy that has changed her life forever.
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The Illinois mother is one of the three Americans who have an istel cell transplant, effectively curing them of type 1 diabetes. This procedure involves transplanting new cells into the liver, enabling the body to produce insulin. It only took four weeks for Goedel's body to be able to produce insulin. Another patient was taking one-third of his regular dose as a result. The third patient stopped taking insulin in two weeks.
Back when she was diagnosed, Goedel's life was not easy. Living with type 1 diabetes affected her so much that she had to constantly visit hospitals due to diabetic ketoacidosis, according to the Daily Mail.
According to the CDC, this complication takes place when the pancreas does not produce insulin. Instead, it breaks down fat, producing the acids called ketones. These can be dangerous to the body, producing headaches, muscle stiffness, fatigue, stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting, among others.
Type 1 diabetes affected Goedel's adult life too. She crashed her vehicle while she was experiencing a diabetic attack and her sugar levels made her prone to have miscarriages. Worst of all, her 12-year-old daughter once found her passed out on their kitchen floor. The latter made Goedel search for any therapies that may help her. She eventually found the aforementioned medical trial run by the University of Chicago Medicine Transplant Institute.
Groundbreaking Treatment
There, doctors gave Goedel some tegoprubart. This is an experimental drug that tricks the immune system into thinking the body that the medicine, made from antibodies, was produced by the body itself. Later, doctors gave islet cells from a deceased donor, infusing them into Goedel's liver blood vessels. Goedel's pancreas then started producing insulin, just four weeks later.
Dr. Witkowsky, who conducted the trial, called Goedel on August 15 to tell her about the news. "Today's the day. Mark your calendar. Stop all insulin. You're cured," said Witkowksi, according to Goedel. Marlaina Goedel now can enjoy a normal life without the fear of her sugar levels affecting her body any further.
The team led by Dr. Witkowsky plans to conduct more trials to continue testing the groundbreaking treatment. According to Dr. David-Alexandre C Gros, chief executive of Eledon Pharmaceuticals, this experimental treatment aims to help type 1 diabetes patients who have what is called "brittle diabetes."
Brittle Diabetes
This type of diabetes affects 1 in every 1,000 type 1 diabetes patients. It is described as being far more unstable than its base counterpart. "For these patients, islet transplantation could help to restore endogenous insulin production, allowing for normalized glucose control, and potentially freeing them from daily insulin dependence," Dr. Gros told the Daily Mail.
"We are very encouraged by the levels of interest in tegoprubart and are working aggressively to advance this development program to bring this new option in immunosuppression to transplant patients as quickly as possible."
In the meantime, patients like Marlaina Goedel who have suffered from the disease for the better part of their lives can rest assured that significant medical advances are being made. This could mean finally living peacefully for them. "It took a while to get used to saying, 'I am cured. I am diabetes free.' It's been very freeing," said Goedel. "No one should have to live with this disease. I know that now more than ever."
