Is BCG Vaccine a Cure for Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells and convert carbohydrates to energy.

Type 1 diabetes is triggered through different factors that could be genetic or due to some virus infections.

Despite active research, type 1 diabetes has no cure. Treatment focuses on managing blood sugar levels with insulin, diet and lifestyle to prevent complications.

Learn how to lower your Hba1c levels here though this free e-Guide

Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine is a vaccine primarily used against tuberculosis. BCG vaccine can be administered after birth intradermally. BCG vaccination can cause a false positive Mantoux test, although a very high-grade reading is usually due to active disease.

A group of participants with longstanding type 1 diabetes, have been receiving two administrations of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine through three years - four weeks apart. These participants showed an improvement in HbA1c to near normal levels, a change that persisted for 5 years. The study from a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team—published in npj Vaccines - also reports that the effects of BCG vaccine on blood sugar control appear to depend on a totally novel metabolic mechanism that increases cellular consumption of glucose.