Cure for Type 1 diabetes? Cancer research accidentally stumbles upon 90 per cent effective ‘sugar-coating’ method

What started as an investigation into how cancer cells hide from the immune system has led Mayo Clinic researchers to a surprising breakthrough that may change how we treat type 1 diabetes. The scientists were studying how cancer cells use a sugar molecule called sialic acid to avoid being attacked.

In a twist, they found that the same sugar coating could be used to protect the pancreas’ insulin-producing beta cells, the very cells that are destroyed in type 1 diabetes.

In a potential breakthrough for type 1 diabetes, Mayo Clinic scientists have found a way to protect insulin-producing cells from being destroyed by the immune system, using a “sugar coating.”


The team, led by immunology expert Dr. Virginia Shapiro, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

What does the model say, and how is it related to cancer cells?

The idea came from earlier cancer research. Tumors often evade the immune system by covering themselves in sialic acid. The Mayo team wondered if the same technique could protect healthy cells under autoimmune attack.

To test it, researchers engineered beta cells to produce an enzyme called ST8Sia6, which boosts sialic acid on cell surfaces. This effectively “sugar-coated” the beta cells, making them appear normal to the immune system.

It has 90 per cent success in preclinical tests

In models that closely mirror how type 1 diabetes develops in humans, the engineered beta cells were 90 per cent effective in preventing the disease. The immune system did not attack the sugar-coated cells.

Crucially, the immune system as a whole remained active. “We found that the enzyme specifically generated tolerance against autoimmune rejection of the beta cell,” said lead author and M.D.-Ph.D. student Justin Choe to Mayo Clinic.

A step toward better treatment

Currently, people with type 1 diabetes rely on insulin injections or, in rare cases, pancreas cell transplants that require full immune suppression.

The sugar coating method could one day allow for transplants without suppressing the entire immune system.

While still early in development, Dr. Shapiro said this discovery may lead to “improving care” for patients and offer hope for a more targeted, longer-term solution to the disease.

What is Type 1 Diabetes and how does it affect the body?

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.

These beta cells are crucial because they produce insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels. Without insulin, glucose cannot enter the body’s cells to be used for energy. As a result, sugar builds up in the bloodstream, leading to high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), which can cause serious health complications over time.

Once these beta cells are destroyed, the body can no longer produce insulin on its own, and people with type 1 diabetes must rely on daily insulin injections or pumps to manage their blood sugar. The destruction of beta cells usually begins in childhood or adolescence, but it can happen at any age.

It affects about 1.3 million people in the US and currently has no cure.