Dr. Wilson was kind enough to tell me that his Phase-I study of Pioglitazone is about half way enrolled. They are hoping to enroll 15 people total. The study is a pilot one, being done at Stony Brook, NY, USA. Pioglitazone has been approved for use in type-2 diabetes for about 10 years. Pioglitazone is part of a larger drug family called thiazolidinediones which have been shown to preserve beta cells in animals with type-1 diabetes, and to reduce death of beta cells in petri dishes.
This study is also unusual in that it will enroll children as young as six. I assume that is at least in part because they are working with an already approved drug with a known safety profile. Open to patients within 4 months of dx.
For those of you who are near Stanford University, the Dr. Wilson doing this trial is different than the Dr. Wilson who is at Stanford.
Joshua Levy