Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor has received a $1 million grant from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to study immune system responses to the introduction of certain insulin-producing cells in mice having Type 1 diabetes.

The transplantation of “islets” into people with Type I diabetes is considered a promising treatment because it holds the promise for restoring normal blood sugar levels without the need for insulin injections. In trials in Canada, islets were harvested from donated pancreases and transplanted into human diabetics. Obstacles to the transplants, such as the immune system rejecting the islets, need to be studied, according to a foundation report.

Dr. Leonard Schultz, a staff scientist at Jackson Laboratory, will lead the investigation into how to reduce the immune system’s reaction to the islet transplantation in mouse models. Other staff scientists will participate in related research, as well.

The foundation plans to spend $120 million this year on diabetes research. It defines Type I diabetes as a disease that strikes children suddenly, making them insulin-dependent for life with the constant threat of health complications.

Jackson is considered a worldwide leader in genetics research. It has more than 30 research groups studying mammalian genetics, and it ships roughly 2 million mice annually to research centers in all 50 states and to more than 50 countries. It produces about 1,300 varieties of genetically defined mice.

Research is funded by grants. Last year, the laboratory won a $16.3 million grant in May to create a center to develop mouse models for human neurological disorders.

In October it won a $14 million grant to develop mouse models for use in the study of heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders. Those were the two largest grants in Jackson Laboratory history.