An experimental treatment could reverse type 1 diabetes for millions of people, helping them regenerate their own insulin-producing capacity and restore their normal blood glucose balance. 

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system is actively destroying the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. 

The University of Utah Health scientists found that giving mice a single dose of a human antibody that suppress the actions of glucagon, a hormone involved in glucose regulation, led to an incredible transformation in the pancreas. It suppressed the symptoms of diabetes and increased insulin cell mass by seven times. 

“These animals go from requiring insulin injections to never requiring a diabetes treatment again. They maintain normal blood glucose long after we stop the treatment,” says William L Holland the study’s corresponding author. 

“What this implies for millions of people who have type 1 diabetes is that there is a chance we could eventually regenerate their own insulin-producing capacity, restore their normal blood glucose balance, and hopefully help make progress toward being free of the disease.” 

But researchers say they are still a long way from finding a cure.  

“This research is certainly promising, but it is likely just the first step of many before we can determine if this approach will work in humans with type 1 diabetics,” Holland says. 

The study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). You can read more here.