Stem cell discovery could transform the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Bill Condie reports.

A micrograph of a section through the human pancreas shows the central purple “Langerhans islets”, which contain the cells that produce hormones including insulin. The surrounding exocrine tissue produces digestive enzymes. Credit: STEVE GSCHMEISSNER /Getty Images.

Scientists have for the first time created insulin-producing cells in the laboratory, a discovery that could transform the way we treat diabetes.