The Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School has been funded to continue the Medalist Research Program.
Joslin has for many years awarded a "Gold Medal" to Type I diabetics who have survived for 50 years or more. A few years ago, as my wife approached the 50th anniversary of her diagnosis, I applied for the medal for her.
Shortly after she received her medal, Joslin invited her to fly from coast to coast to participate in some special testing. She does not fly alone, so they agreed to pay round trip tickets for both of us and one night in a hotel near the center.
She has just been invited to return for some more tests that the results of the first exam suggested. Seems that most Type Is who survive, continue to produce some insulin. It appears that some Beta cells regenerate and then the auto-immune system kicks in again and kills them off. The goal is to find some way to rein in the killer cells and thus convert the natural regeneration into a cure.