On Sept. 13, 2024, researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine have used a cutting-edge model system to uncover the mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, induces new cases of diabetes, and worsens complications in people who already have it.

The research team found that viral exposure activates immune cells that in turn destroy beta (β) cells, the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. The study results were published in Cell Stem Cell.