Type I diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that results in the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells by killer T cells. However, most of the killer T cells that patrol the pancreas during diabetes do not recognize any pancreatic antigens. The assumption has been that even the nonspecific T cells contribute to disease progression by contributing to tissue damage. Researchers from the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology have reported that the opposite is true.