LA JOLLA, Calif., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've created a video of the cell destruction occurring in type 1 diabetes, an advance that could lead to better treatment of the disease.
Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in California created videos showing immune system T-cells attacking insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas of research mice, a kind of attack that in humans can lead to the potentially fatal disorder that requires insulin therapy.
The videos were created with a still camera attached to a microscope, and researchers edited the images together creating a video that shows the sequence of events, The Sand Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday.
"We now have a much better window into how type 1 diabetes occurs," researcher Ken Coppieters said.
"In the past, scientists would remove a pancreas and make sections of it. That gave you a snapshot of cellular destruction. But the videos let you see it happening. We're seeing the dynamics of a living organism."
