1.   Insulin is produced commercially from animals.

2.   Although the body produces enough insulin, tissues develop a resistance to its actions, and sugar levels rise above normal.

3.   And if a meal generates more glucose than we can use at the moment, our bodies produce insulin to squirrel away the excess.

4.   As the beta cells continued to die off, less and less insulin was produced, causing her glucose levels to rise.

5.   As the company proceeds with testing, it also plans to try implanting pig cells that produce insulin in other test mice.

6.   Both can be used in combination with oral sulfonylureas, which prompt the pancreas to produce more insulin.

7.   Affected islet cells produce less insulin, thereby worsening the disease.

8.   Already, other researchers have isolated islets from cadavers and transplanted them into diabetics, prompting their bodies to produce insulin again.

9.   Chick thought islet cells gathered from the pancreas of a pig could be used in such a device because they would produce insulin similar to that of humans.

10.   Essentially, it starts when the pancreas no longer produces insulin, the hormone that regulates the metabolism of glucose and other carbohydrates.