Type 1 diabetes arises when the immune system attacks insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body does not make enough insulin to keep blood sugar or glucose under control. Now, scientists in Germany have discovered that blocking a molecule in an immune system signaling pathway appears to prevent such autoimmune attacks.
In a paper published in the journal PNAS, a team led by Dr. Carolin Daniel, group leader at the Institute of Diabetes Research (IDF) of Helmholtz Zentrum München, describes discovering a mechanism that the immune system uses to prepare for attacks on the insulin-producing beta cells.
