The emphasis must be on caring for diabetes, since there is no safe, easy and efficacious cure for Type 1 Diabetes. However, current medical researchers have made great inroads toward understanding the genetic and molecular factors that lead to the destruction of islet cells. The UCSF Diabetes Center has leveraged its expertise in immunology, pancreatic cell biology, stem cell biology, and genetics to unlock new and lasting methods to reverse and halt the disease.
Medical researchers have also been exploring novel ways to:
- Diagnose those who are at high risk for developing diabetes
- Prevent the onset of the clinical manifestation of the disease through immune therapy
- Slow the progression of diabetes in the newly diagnosed period through immune therapy
- Restore the body’s ability to produce insulin with pancreas, islet cell transplants, and through stem cell replacement approaches