A team of Harvard scientists said Thursday that they had finally found a way to turn human embryonic stem cells into cells that produce insulin. The long-sought advance could eventually lead to new ways to help millions of people with diabetes.

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"We are reporting the ability to make hundreds of millions of cells — the cell that can read the amount of sugar in the blood which appears following a meal and then squirts out or secretes just the right amount of insulin," Melton says.

The advance came after laboring for more than 15 years to find a way to turn human embryonic stem cells into so-called beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin.

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And when Melton and his colleagues transplanted the cells into mice with diabetes, the results were clear — and fast.

"We can cure their diabetes right away — in less than 10 days," he says. "This finding provides a kind of unprecedented cell source that could be used for cell transplantation therapy in diabetes."