Experts still don't know everything about what causes Type 1 Diabetes, but medics in Newcastle are working on an exciting trial which could show how the condition can be treated - and perhaps even cured.
Type 1 Diabetes affects around 400,000 people in the UK - and is by far the most common cause of diabetes in children. It sees the body's own immune system attack the cells which produce insulin. At the Newcastle Diabetes Centre - part of the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust - experts are currently trialling a state-of-the-art immunotherapy treatment which - if given to people soon enough after the condition is discovered - could lead the way to curing or even preventing it.
The trust is one of 20 hospital organisations around Europe taking part in the Impact study, which aims to use targeted new therapies to intervene while newly-diagnosed diabetics are still able to produce their own insulin. That's the hormone that allows the body's cells to absorb sugar into the bloodstream.
