AbbVie’s cancer drug Venclexta blocks diabetes in mice by targeting beta cell ‘senescence’

A UCSF team found that beta cells experience "secretory senescence," a process whereby DNA damage causes them to stop working properly. That touches off the immune attack on beta cells that's characteristic of Type 1 diabetes. In mice, a drug that eradicates senescent cells—AbbVie’s leukemia treatment Venclexta—prevented the onset of the disease.