diabetes-biological/chemical reasons why?

[jessica369]

I was wondering if anyone had any links, book titles, or other info on what happens to the body that causes type-1 diabetes????

[genovese]

The current theory on type I diabetes is that it occurs in genetically predisposed individuals (not due to one single gene abnormality but several genes) and possibly triggered by some environmental factors which allows the person's immune response to start attacking its own beta pancreatic cells where insulin is produced.
Hopes of a genetic cures seem far away and trials of immunosuppresants have not so far been very successful. So it is classified as an autoimmune disease. There is hope, in that beta cells undergoing immune attack have been observed to regenerate and interest is focussing on embryonic stem cell research.