Could We One Day Cure Type 1 Diabetes? A $1 Million Bet on Reprogramming the Immune System

Rebecca Guldberg
Jan 11
3 min read

Every person living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) knows the daily routine: checking blood sugar, calculating carbs, dosing insulin — day in and day out. But what if scientists could stop the disease at its source instead of just managing it?

That’s exactly what a new research initiative funded with a $1 million grant from an organization called "Breakthrough T1D" is trying to do: reprogram the immune system so it stops attacking insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. (read press release here).

Breakthrough T1D, a global research and advocacy organization issued the grant to researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Leonardo Ferreira, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and Immunology is leading the research project along with collaborators at partnering institutions.

Why the Immune System Matters in Type 1 Diabetes

T1D is an autoimmune disease — meaning your own immune system mistakenly destroys the beta cells in your pancreas that make insulin. Once those cells are gone, your body can no longer control blood sugar without lifelong insulin therapy.

Traditional treatments focus on:

Managing blood glucose with insulin and technology like CGMs and pumps.
Delaying progression in early stages with immune therapies such as teplizumab (which can slow the immune attack when given early). (Wikipedia)

But none of these stop the underlying immune system problem permanently.

Reprogramming Immune Cells — Not Just Suppressing Them

The cutting-edge idea behind this project is to teach the immune system to tolerate beta cells instead of attacking them.

Researchers are combining:

Stem cell biology (to grow beta cells in the lab),
Immunology (to understand and fix immune mistakes),
Transplant science (to bring these new cells into the body safely).

Instead of using broad immunosuppressant drugs (which put people at risk of infection), the team is engineering a type of immune cell called a regulatory T-cell (Treg) to act like a bodyguard for beta cells.

These engineered Tregs carry a kind of GPS device called a CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) that guides them straight to transplanted beta cells and tells the immune system to “stand down.”

Lab-Made Beta Cells + Immune Bodyguards

Creating new beta cells in the lab means scientists no longer have to depend on rare donor organs. Those lab-grown cells can be frozen, stored, and ready to use — a big deal for future treatments.

Then, paired with the engineered Tregs, these new beta cells may be able to survive inside the body without being attacked, potentially restoring the body’s ability to make its own insulin.

Why This Research Matters

This isn’t just another drug to delay symptoms — it’s a whole-new strategy that aims to fix the root cause of type 1 diabetes. It could one day mean:

Fewer daily insulin shots or pump adjustments,
Less fear of immune attacks,
A real chance at long-lasting insulin production by your own cells.

This research is early and will take time to move from lab to clinic, but experts say it could signal a transformative shift in how we treat autoimmune diseases like T1D.

Building on a Big Wave of New Science

This work sits alongside other breakthroughs, like:

Studies where scientists reset the immune system in mice to cure type 1 diabetes without insulin or immunosuppressants. (Diabetes UK)
Gene therapies that reprogram cells to make insulin and avoid immune attack. (Healthline)
Immune therapies like teplizumab that delay disease progression in people at risk. (Wikipedia)

All of these advances show one thing clearly: the science of curing T1D is moving fast.

About Direct Diabetes

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This content is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider about any questions or concerns regarding your health or treatment options.