Posted by Robin Harrison on June 06, 1999 at 14:30:28:
In Reply to: Is enthusiasum real? posted by Susan Arnold on June 06, 1999 at 13:12:41:
Hi Susan,
Weighing in as the resident grump and skeptic, I'm encouraged, but not so much so as to be incredibly enthusiastic about the anti-CD40 ligand/Antova. I hope it does ultimately pan out to provide the proper immune response for recognition of islets as "self" without causing any detrimental items (like viruses and such) to be considered "self" too, but it is my feeling it will take a long time and a lot of research to adequately document what it does or doesn't recognize. Also, as I understand it, the substance has only been demonstrated effective with allotransplant thusfar, and there are simply not enuff human islets to supply everyone who needs or wants them if and when the Antova is approved and available to the general public. The competitive scenario of who gets islets and who doesn't is not one that I relish, so I hope that there will be parallel breakthroughs on the supply front as far as islet proliferation or getting the Antova to work with xenotransplanted islets.
At any rate, I won't be competing to be one of the first to have yet another genetically modified substance for my diabetes. The very first genetically modified drug ever introduced to the market, human insulin, has a terrible effect upon me. It's probably safe to assume that all those people who don't like what I have to say won't need to worry about sharing a place in the line with me if this Antova becomes a universally available product, if that's any comfort to those who really are in a rush to get it.
Robin