Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease resulting from the progressive loss of pancreatic insulin-secreting beta-cells. This consequently leads to a lack of insulin and elevation of blood sugar, namely hyperglycemia, which is a major cause for the development of diabetes and its acute or chronic complications. The current treatment for type 1 diabetes requires a life-long dependency on daily insulin injections, causing inconvenience and burden to patients. Drug-induced hypoglycemia is also common as it presents a major challenge in insulin therapy. Furthermore, although insulin therapy is lifesaving, it is not a cure as it neither reverses the progression of the disease nor prevents the development of serious complications associated with this disease. New treatments are urgently needed.