University of Florida researchers have identified a group of stem-like immune cells in the lymph nodes near the pancreas that appear to renew themselves and keep supplying the T cells that destroy insulin-producing beta cells in type 1 diabetes. The study was published Sept. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The finding helps address a long-standing question: why the immune attack in type 1 diabetes can continue for years rather than burning out. It is laboratory research on donated human tissue, not a new treatment, and it does not change care for anyone living with the disease today.
