Retraining the immune system to treat type 1 diabetes

Article excerpt

Type 1 diabetes destroys insulin-producing pancreatic cells when the immune system turns on itself, leaving patients dependent on lifelong medication and monitoring. Islet transplantation offers a potential escape route, replacing damaged tissue with healthy cells, but forces patients into an immunosuppressive arms race: they must chemically silence their immune system to prevent it from rejecting the new tissue. Researchers are exploring ways to retrain the immune system itself, potentially allowing it to tolerate transplanted cells without dangerous immunosuppression.