Mouse study: three-drug combo put about 30% of mice with adult autoimmune diabetes into remission, blood markers predicted who responded

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in Israel report in the journal MedComm (publicized 9 November 2026) an experimental drug combination for latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) — a form of autoimmune diabetes that is often mistaken for type 2 diabetes. All results so far are in mice.

What was tested

The team combined three well-known drugs — GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), the diabetes drug sitagliptin and the stomach-acid drug omeprazole — in a mouse model that resembles human LADA. The aim was to calm the autoimmune attack on the pancreas while helping insulin-producing beta cells recover.

Results

• About 30% of treated mice went into complete remission: normal blood glucose, no need for insulin, and they stayed diabetes-free for weeks after treatment stopped.
• The other mice showed little or no response.
• In blood taken before treatment, two cell-free RNA markers, Adgrb1 and Chd5, distinguished future responders from non-responders.
• In cured mice, new beta cells formed mainly through replication of existing beta cells, and the immune attack on the pancreas eased.

Co-author Ron Piran said “substantial additional research” is needed before the approach can be tested in patients.

Limitations

This is a preclinical mouse study; mouse models do not fully reproduce human disease, and most treated mice did not respond. The biomarkers have not been validated in people, follow-up was weeks long, and the results come from a single group. Nobody should combine these medicines on their own; people with diabetes should discuss treatment with their doctor.