Posted by Camillo Ricordi on June 04, 1999 at 19:55:07:
In Reply to: anti-cd40L/anti cd154 posted by Therese B. on June 03, 1999 at 22:32:34:
Hi Dr. Ricordi,
Therese Bujold here, I was wondering if you can answer for me in 'lay'
terms the difference between anti cd40l and anti cd154. Also would it be
o.k. to post your response at TIF?
I posed it as a question there, but
would love to hear the answer from 'the source,' you, rather that someone
attempting to dissect it there.
Thank you for the wonderful news out of DRI....can't wait for human trials!
Therese B.
Dear Therese:
They are exactly the same antibody. The new denomination is anti-CD154, while the old one was anti-CD40L. Wright now we are in the transition phase, where some people still call it with the old name and others are already using the new one. Please let me know if you need any further clarification.
Since I am responding to you, I would like the occasion to make a couple of other comments ...
Every now and then someone drops in my office a copy of a message posted in the forum and I have been tempted to come back and answer directly, but some "wise" collaborators are advising me against it. I have been answering questions from the childrenwithdiabetes.com (Diabetes Team Question) site, where they screen the questions that they send and so far have excluded those from idiots/useless people. Nevertheless, I'll be happy to answer any question that you or any of the other decent participant in the forum may have. If you feel these is any pressing issue please let me know and I will answer. Also, tell Sandra that she can call me any time.
It has been disappointing for me personally to see mothers of children with diabetes crying because they read a messages posted in the TIF forum. Sometimes people do not realize that many scientists and staff from the DRI have children, partner or family with type 1 diabetes (including myself), or they are patients themselves. Most of us take the search for a cure as the only mission in life and not just as a profession or a job. Our team live every day with all aspect of diabetes, as families, parents, patients and scientists. We share the same frustrations, hopes and tears of the millions of families and patients with type 1 diabetes. In case anyone has not a direct interest in diabetes, we designed the institute so that every scientist, every morning, has to walk through the patients in the lobby of the institute, before reaching their laboratory, just in the improbable event they need to be reminded why, and who they are working for.
Everyone here at the DRI is under a tremendous professional and emotional pressure every time we come close to test something that we believe could make a difference in the life of our patients and our families. As we are beginning the most important clinical trial in the history of our institute, I wish I could thank personally all those who have supported us over the years. Not just for the financial support we have received, but especially for all of the messages of encouragement we continue to receive. Thank you! They mean a lot to all of us and help us tremendously to keep our energy level and determination in the right direction. I have the privilege to lead a team (now over 100 people at the DRI) that is incredibly dedicated and committed to find a cure for this disease and I would like thank all of them first, but I would like to send a special thank to:
- all the people at the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, without whose support we would not be here and who continue to make our work possible
- the men and women of the AFL-CIO and to the Unions who made it possible to build this institute and who continue to support us through DAD's day and many other events
- many, many volunteers at JDFI (especially Sandy, Margery and Sandra) for their efforts to keep the organization on track and focused on our mission
- Deb at the Insulin Free World Foundation and all other volunteers supporting diabetes research
- the State of Florida
- the funding sources of our competitive research, mainly the NIH, but also the JDFI and the ADA, that currently contribute to approximately 5% and 1% of our budget respectively
Best wishes to you and to most of the people at the TIF forum,
Camillo Ricordi, M.D.