Though ethical battles continue over stem cell research, exciting advances have been made regarding what can be thought of as the ‘diabetic stem cell,’ which doctors may one day be able to control and develop into cells that can produce insulin in a type 1 diabetic. Stem cells are unique, in that they can be induced to become cells that perform special functions. They can also renew themselves via cell division. Most people have heard about embryonic stem cells. But adult stem cells may be even more exciting, as their primary role is to repair and maintain the tissue from where they originated. They are rarer, but may be less likely to be rejected by the person’s immune system after transplantation, as the patient’s own stem cells could be generated into a specific cell type (e.g. a ‘diabetic stem cell’), and then reintroduced into the body. Stem cells …