Ingested Interferon Alpha: Prolongation or Permanence of the "Honeymoon" Phase in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00005665. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
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Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
We hypothesize that ingested human recombinant interferon-alpha (hrIFN-a) will prolong the "honeymoon" period and enhance B cell survival in type 1 diabetes in a phase II randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. We have demonstrated that ingested IFN-a prevents type 1 diabetes in the NOD mouse, prolongs the "honeymoon" period in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetics, and delays murine islet allograft rejection. The natural history of type 1 diabetes is unique for a phase frequently referred as the "honeymoon," a period in which the insulin need becomes minimal and glycemic control improves. The B cell (the insulin producing cell) partially recovers. However, as with all honeymoons, they end and the patient becomes completely insulin-deficient. The general consensus of the international diabetes community is to test potential preventive therapies for type 1 diabetes in newly diagnosed patients. Prolongation of the honeymoon as the reversal of the disease is considered a positive result. In this phase II randomized, double-blind, parallel-design clinical trial we will determine whether ingested (oral) human recombinant IFN-a will prolong the "honeymoon" period and increase counterregulatory anti-inflammatory cytokine(s). We will determine the safety and efficacy of 30,000 units ingested hrIFN-a vs placebo in eighty patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes in a phase II trial for one year. Primary outcome measures will be a 30% increase in C-peptide levels released after Sustacal stimulation at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after entry. Secondary outcome will be decreasing titers of islet cell antibodies (ICA). If successful, a larger and longer phase III trial of prevention of type 1 diabetes in high risk patients will be undertaken. We will also determine if ingested hrIFN-a increases IL-4, IL-10 or IFN-a production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMNC) from patients with recent onset type 1 diabetes.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT00005665
- Recruitment status
- Not listed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Enrollment
- Not listed
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 3 Years to 25 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Not listed
- Primary completion
- Not listed
- Completion
- Not listed
- Last update posted
- Jun 23, 2005
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dept. of Neurology, Rm MSB 7.044 Univ. of Texas-Houston Medical School | Houston | Texas | 77030 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00005665, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Jun 23, 2005 · Synced Sep 27, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT00005665 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.