Two separate clinical trials have shown promising results transplanting pancreatic islet cells into people with long-standing type 1 diabetes, aiming to restore their ability to produce their own insulin.
In a trial by Eledon Pharmaceuticals together with the University of Chicago, 100% of participants achieved insulin independence four weeks after the transplant, with no signs of rejection. Separately, Vertex Pharmaceuticals' VX-880 helped 10 of 12 participants stop needing external insulin by 365 days after the transplant.
Both approaches still require immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of the transplanted cells, unlike other research lines — such as Sana Biotechnology's — that specifically aim to avoid that need. Researchers consider these results a meaningful step toward a future functional cure for type 1 diabetes.