From Stanford University and Leiden University in the Netherlands, a possible reversal of Type 1 diabetes could be successfully in the works. As regular vaccines do, the new treatment helps your immune system fight the bad that has entered the body. In this case, the bad is Type 1 Diabetes. For those who don’t know, it attacks the beta cells in the pancreas and leads to sugar forming in your blood, which is very damaging to kidneys and other major organs.

Luckily, a new vaccine has been trialed. The circular piece of DNA carries certain genes that shut down a particular part of the immune system, the CD8 T-cells, that is hurting the pancreas. It helps calm the overactive T-cells and preserve the beta-cells.

After being tested on numerous mice with great results , the vaccine was taken to humans; a small study of only 80 people. It showed true promise without having any negative side-effects and actually increased C-peptides in the blood – a positive response for the pancreas!

The trial is going to get slightly larger and further into the pediatric section because the diabetes would have done less damage than an adult. As of right now there is no cure, but this definitely has potential to be the first.