Type 1 diabetes is not always a sudden failure of insulin production; the underlying autoimmune process can unfold over years. The condition involves a sustained attack on insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and researchers have not fully understood what keeps that attack going.
Now, scientists have identified immune cells that may help sustain this autoimmune assault, according to Medical Xpress. The cells appear to play a role in the continuing destruction of pancreatic insulin-producing cells, offering a possible explanation for the prolonged nature of the disease.
More research is needed to determine whether these cells could be targeted to slow or stop disease progression. The work adds to the view of type 1 diabetes as a long-term immune process rather than a one-time event.