You need to have the antigen there. It's precisely for this purpose that the thymus produces a tiny amount of insulin. While both genes A and B can contribute, Vafaidus and Polychronakos found that they do not contribute equally. Thymic insulin production was studied in aborted, healthy human fetuses. This is an exciting discovery, but it accounts for only one step in the progression of the disease.
Cloning is promoted by some cytokines and inhibited by others.
Protective T-cells make inhibiting cytokines that slow down the growth of the army. Testing this hypothesis is the present goal of his laboratory, and if proved, it immediately suggests a possible therapy. This could halt the proliferation of destructive T-cells and stop the progression of the disease. Polychronakos's research also has implications for other auto-immune diseases. In multiple sclerosis, for instance, T-cells destroy the insulating myelin that wraps around nerve fibers.