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Spanish researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) have devised a method that can cure type 1 diabetes in dogs. The study marks the first time that researchers have found such success against the disease in large animals. They believe that their findings may help lead to a cure in other companion animals, as well as in humans, ultimately.

The researchers performed a type of gene therapy. The minimally invasive treatment injects various treatments into the dogs' hind legs, using needles that are commonly utilized in cosmetic procedures. The treatments intended to express the genes for insulin and for glucokinase, an enzyme responsible for taking glucose from the blood. When the genes work at the same time, they reduce the likelihood of diabetic hyperglycemia, or too much blood sugar.

The treatment was wildly successful. It eliminated the symptoms of type 1 diabetes in dogs for four years with a single administration of the treatment. The dogs' glucose control remained steady, whether they were fasting or fed and, even after exercise, they never exhibited hypoglycemia, which is when blood sugar is too low. Four years after the treatment, the dogs never exhibited secondary symptoms either.

According to the ASPCA, type 1 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in dogs. The symptoms are often similar as in humans, including change in appetite and weight loss. If untreated, diabetes can cause blindness and chronic skin infections in dogs.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly identified as juvenile diabetes, is sometimes classified as an autoimmune disorder. The condition occurs when the body produces no insulin at all. It differs from type 2 diabetes because type 2 diabetes occurs because the body does not recognize the insulin that it produces or produces too little insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, 5 percent of people with diabetes suffer from type 1 diabetes.

In humans, type 1 diabetes carries the risk of kidney damage and limb amputation, even with insulin injections. Insulin injections, which need to be administered two to three times a day, also may cause hypoglycemia.

The World Health Organization reports that 347 million people worldwide have diabetes.

The study was published in the journal Diabetes.