Cell biologist Deng Hongkui, from Peking University, achieved what seemed impossible. His team took cells from the patient, chemically reprogrammed them in the lab, and turned them into new pancreatic beta cells, the same ones that produce insulin and that diabetes destroys. After transplanting them back into the patient, the body started producing insulin on its own again, without injections or external medications.

The results are historic. In June 2023, a 25-year-old woman from Tianjin with type 1 diabetes received 1.5 million islets in her abdominal muscles. Within 75 days she was producing her own insulin. Today, more than two years later, she still does not need a single injection. “I can eat sugar now, I enjoy everything, especially hotpot”, the patient told Nature magazine. The study was published in Cell. In February 2026, the same team announced the first world case of reversal in type 2 diabetes.

The potential impact is colossal. More than 500 million people live with diabetes worldwide. By using the patient’s own cells, the risk of rejection is drastically reduced. Deng received the 2024 Future Science Prize, China’s top scientific award. While the West gets stuck in regulatory debates, Beijing moves forward unhindered toward the definitive cure. China, always China.