How to Cure Type 1 Diabetes

Recently, we published an article on the NJAP blog about a woman who was successfully cured of type 1 diabetes as part of a clinical trial. We got a lot of feedback from you guys on social media, and we would like to address some of your comments and concerns about a cure for type 1 diabetes.

We’re not at all surprised that news of a cure is met with skepticism. Most of us who have type 1 diabetes were promised at diagnosis that a cure was right around the corner. But years later, we’re still waiting. It seems that there hasn’t been a lot of advancement, and that’s led to disappointment and, for many, loss of hope that they’ll get a cure in their lifetime. There’s also a lot of skepticism around the effectiveness of potential cures. Will they fully cure type 1 diabetes without a chance of it being triggered down the road? Will we need to take antirejection medications, which come with their own side effects and complications? Others worry about the cost and accessibility of a cure. Will everyone be able to receive it, or just a privileged few?

All of these concerns are valid, and we understand the hesitancy to get excited about a cure. If we put our hope in every promise and “cure” that comes around, we only set ourselves up for disappointment. In this article, we’re addressing some of the obstacles to finding a real cure, what we can’t control, and how we can take our health into our own hands and make a type 1 diabetes cure a reality.

The Problem with “The Cure”

In an ideal world, finding a cure would be straightforward. There would be plenty of funding and research dedicated to finding cures, a straightforward regulatory process that allowed every country to receive it simultaneously, and the price would be accessible for everyone. But that’s simply not the case, and several factors complicate bringing new medical devices, treatments, or a cure to market.

We already see these challenges on a small scale with insulin pumps, CGMs, insulins, and diabetes medications. What’s available in one country isn’t available in another. It takes years for new treatments and devices to get approved, and in some places, they’re very expensive. That’s why many expect that if a cure becomes available, we could face problems with fair accessibility for all type 1 diabetics. Some countries’ health regulators will likely approve it before others, so whether or not you can receive the cure could depend on where you live. Another concern is the cost. The price could vary depending on the country or hospital, and whether or not insurance would cover the procedure. A high price could exclude some type 1 diabetics with lower incomes from accessing the cure entirely.

Accessibility concerns are understandable. Even now, we face problems accessing our preferred devices, insulin, and medications due to high costs and limited availability, depending on where you live. It’s realistic to expect similar issues with a cure once it comes to market.

Others doubt whether a cure will really work. Autoimmune diseases are tricky – since our own body attacked our insulin-producing cells, who’s to say it won’t eventually do the same again? If we’re offered a cure, we want it to work! We don’t want to live in wait of eventually waking up one day to diabetes symptoms, high blood sugar, or ketoacidosis. If it’s really a cure, we shouldn’t have to worry about diabetes ever again. For now, it’s a matter of waiting for more thorough research. The cure we wrote about in our previous article has only been tested on one person, and seems to work long-term. But the only way to know if it’s effective is to wait for the results of future trials.

Another question surrounding the cure is, once it starts rolling out, what happens next? If it’s available, most type 1 diabetics will likely want it. But perhaps maybe some won’t, or it won’t work for them, and they’ll have to continue with their diabetes treatment. Some worry that once there’s a cure, there will be such a small number of type 1 diabetics that it could be complicated for them to get insurance and government subsidies, and that the cost of diabetes care could rise. Also, with such a small number of customers, it would be difficult for CGM and insulin pump companies to keep investing in improving their technology.

Perhaps what worries people most is the business of type 1 diabetes. With a multi-billion dollar market that continues growing, type 1 diabetes is a huge moneymaker, and a cure would mean that pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies would have to say goodbye to that profit. Many feel that powerful people who are making their fortunes off of type 1 diabetics will do anything in their power to prevent a cure from becoming available to the masses.

All of these concerns are serious, and they can’t be ignored. Maybe the real problem is that we don’t know what a world with a type 1 diabetes cure will look like. We simply have to wait to see how all of these issues play out. Once there is a cure on the market, it will be easier to address them, but until then, we still don’t know what challenges we’ll face. We know we don’t live in an ideal world, but should we discredit a cure before we even have it? There will most likely be challenges that come with it, but worrying about what they might be or rejecting it before we have it because of the possible problems isn’t going to solve anything.

What We Can’t Control

Now, don’t get us wrong, we aren’t saying that concerns about a potential cure are unfounded, and we’re definitely not going to make exaggerated promises that a cure is just around the corner. But the truth is that some exciting advances have been made, and it’s not crazy to be hopeful about a cure.

Many of the worries about the cure are things that we can’t control. We can’t control if insurance will cover it, how much it will cost, what kind of procedure it will be, how quickly it will get approved, or if it will get approved at all. And unless some of you are scientists or researchers, we definitely can’t control when we’ll find “the one” – a cure that’s safe, effective, and affordable enough for everyone. So instead of worrying about what we can’t do, why not focus on what is in our control?

What We Can Do

Instead of focusing on factors that are out of our control or taking a pessimistic view, we prefer to focus on what we can do. Anyone with type 1 diabetes knows the importance of advocating for themselves. We all have to advocate for ourselves to get the devices, medication, and care that we need, and when a cure becomes available, we’ll have to do the same. Many of us do our own research on new technologies, insulins, and medication for diabetes, and go to our doctors and insurance to try to get what we need to take care of ourselves. We can expect to do the same with a cure. Staying on top of news about the cure and doing our own research is the first step we can take to receive it.

Another thing we can do is support the researchers and organizations that are actually working on a cure – and no, we’re not talking about fundraising organizations that “walk for a cure.” Go straight to the source. Find researchers and organizations actively working on a cure, and if there’s anything you can do to help them, reach out directly. Even if there’s isn’t anything you can do to support them financially, keep up with their progress and tell others about the work they’re doing.

Once a cure hits the market, it likely won’t be available everywhere. We already deal with this when new insulin pumps, CGMs, and insulins become available, and unfortunately, if something isn’t available in our country, it’s almost impossible to use. Even if we could buy it in another country, it’s not practical to get supplies that aren’t available locally. But with a cure, things would be different, as it would probably require a one-time procedure and a limited stay. For many, traveling to another country to get the cure would be a realistic option. Of course, we don’t know how much it will cost or where the cure will be available first. But many of you have mentioned that you would be willing to travel for a cure, and it’s something we can do to take our health into our own hands.

For some, traveling for a cure might seem out of reach because of the cost, visas, or other factors. If we want to overcome these obstacles, the type 1 diabetes community is the key. We always do what we can to help each other out. We feel a sense of security having T1D friends because we know they’ll help us if our blood sugar drops suddenly or we forget our insulin at home. Those same friends will have our backs when there’s a cure.

Some worry that the T1D community will disappear once there’s a cure. But we’d like to think of it as our secret weapon that will help all of us access the cure. Whether that means raising money to help individuals travel and pay for the procedure or raising awareness of the cure within the medical community, there’s so much we can do to help each other.

At NJAP, we’re excited to hear that people are being cured of type 1 diabetes, and we look forward to it becoming a reality for all type 1 diabetics in the future. We understand the concerns, most of which are real problems. But we also think there are reasons for hope. NJAP is committed to fighting for a cure, and we hope to share more positive news with you in the near future. If you’re curious about who’s working on a type 1 diabetes cure, here are a couple of articles we found discussing the progress researchers are making:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-02/breakthrough-in-diabetes-treatment-research/103278156

https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2024/mount-sinai-researchers-move-closer-to-a-cure-for-diabetes

We hope you’ll consider following the work these and other researchers are doing to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. It’s fascinating to learn about the different methods they’re trying, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish!

Until there’s a cure for all, we’re here to support our fellow type 1 diabetics with lightweight, durable CGM patches that make you *almost* forget you have diabetes. Check them out here!

Article written by Haleigh Sparks

Professional Content Writer | LinkedIn | haleighsparks.com

Haleigh has had type 1 diabetes since 2002 and is passionate about the diabetes community and emerging management technologies. She hopes her writing can help and inspire other type 1 diabetics to live their best lives. When she’s not writing, she loves hanging out with her rescue dog, trying new recipes, and traveling the world.