Type 1 diabetes discovery

According to reports in the diabetes news, a research team at the McGill University Department of Microbiology and Immunology has made an exciting new diabetes discovery.
The researchers indicated that the T-cells that regulate the immune system lose their effectiveness over time, leading to type 1 diabetes . These ‘lazy’ cells are therefore the root cause of the disease, and could open up new treatment pathways in the future.
The diabetes study, conducted on mice that were genetically engineered, was published in journal Diabetes. According to lead researcher Dr. Piccirillo, who is a prominent figure in this field, these cells are the ‘critical mechanism’ in the evolution of type 1 diabetes.
Piccirilo reportedly commented: “The genetic and cellular mechanisms by which the immune system goes out of control and destroys the islets has been an enigma and an area of great interest over the last few decades.”
He was reported as concluding: “We believe that these regulatory cells may represent a kind of master switch, and by understanding how they are made, how they function and how they survive, we may be able to stop disease from occurring.”