A breakthrough in stem-cell research by Harvard University researchers may offer a cure for Type I Diabetes.

The scientists figured out how to make huge quantities of insulin-producing beta cells that could be used in transplants, potentially allowing millions of insulin-users to throw away the needle, according to The Telegraph.

Harvard professor Doug Melton told The Telegraph he has been working on finding a cure for 23 years, ever since his son was diagnosed as a baby.

The stem cell-derived beta cells developed by the Harvard team are in trials with animals, and are still producing insulin after several months, Melton said.

Professor Elaine Fuchs, of Rockefeller University, told The Telegraph, "For decades, researchers have tried to generate human pancreatic beta cells that could be cultured and passaged long term under conditions where they produce insulin."

By using embryonic stem cells to produce the human insulin-producing cells, the team was able to mimic normally functioning cells.

Chris Mason, Professor of Regenerative Medicine, University College London, told The Telegraph, "If this scalable technology is proven to work in both the clinic and in the manufacturing facility, the impact on the treatment of diabetes will be a medical game-changer on a par with antibiotics and bacterial infections."

About 10 percent of the world's diabetes patients have Type 1, but it is most common among children.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that causes the pancreas to stop producing insulin - the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels, according to The Telegraph.

Ensuring a constant flow of glucose in the blood is important because if it is too high, it can seriously damage the body's organs, and in the worst cases, based on insulin used it can lead to blindness or loss of limbs.

About 20 million individuals worldwide have Type 1 Diabetes, with the highest incidence rate in Finland, according to the World Health Organization.