In a promising development, scientists have identified a potential breakthrough in the treatment of type 1 diabetes, as revealed in a recent study conducted on mice.

Researchers at Stanford School of Medicine have found that by resetting the immune system and generating new insulin-producing cells, they were able to completely reverse type 1 diabetes in mice. This remarkable outcome was detailed in a press release from Stanford.

The study involved 19 pre-diabetic mice that underwent a non-toxic “conditioning” treatment. This procedure included administering low doses of radiation and utilizing specialized antibodies to reduce specific immune cells known as T-cells, as explained in the release.

The primary aim was to temper the mice’s immune response, thereby creating a more conducive environment for testing novel therapeutic approaches.

Following this preparation, the mice received stem cell transplants derived from the bone marrow of other mice, in addition to donor islet cells, which are responsible for insulin production.

The researchers’ goal was to create a “mixed chimerism” — an environment where the mouse has both its own cells and donor immune cells.

This method prevented the development of diabetes in all 19 pre-diabetic mice, as published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The researchers also studied nine mice that had long-standing type 1 diabetes.

All nine of the mice were cured by the combined stem cell and islet transplantation.

The results did not indicate any major side effects or immunity depletion, the scientists noted.

Although this study was only done in mice and required some radiation, which could be limiting in future research, the experts shared their optimism that the treatment could eventually be applied to humans.

In addition to diabetes, this “gentler pre-conditioning approach” could make stem cell transplants a “viable treatment for autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and non-cancerous blood conditions like sickle cell anemia,” the researchers wrote.

“The key steps in our study — which resulted in animals with a hybrid immune system containing cells from both the donor and the recipient — are already being used in the clinic for other conditions,” study co-author Seung K. Kim, M.D., Ph.D., the KM Mulberry Professor and a professor of developmental biology, gerontology, endocrinology and metabolism at Stanford University, wrote in a statement.

“We believe this approach will be transformative for people with type 1 diabetes or other autoimmune diseases, as well as for those who need solid organ transplants.”

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel commented on these findings in an interview with Fox News Digital, noting that although it is “preliminary work,” it could show promise for humans.

“This is a feasible approach and can be translated into human treatment, but will need to be modified via genetic analysis and artificial intelligence for a personalized approach to autoimmunity, which causes type 1 diabetes,” he said. “It’s not one-size-fits-all.”