Islet Transplantation and the Evolving Landscape of Type 1 Diabetes

On this week's episode, we’re talking about breakthroughs in Type 1 Diabetes management.References:National Park Service. History of wolf management. National Park Service; Accessed 2026, April 30. https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/historyculture/wolf-management.htmEspona-Noguera A, Ciriza J, Cañibano-Hernández A, Orive G, Hernández RM, Saenz del Burgo L, Pedraz JL. Review of advanced hydrogel-based cell encapsulation systems for insulin delivery in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Pharmaceutics. 2019 Nov 12;11(11):597. Accessed 2026, April 30. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6920807/Pang H, Xia Y, Luo S, et al. Emerging roles of rare and low-frequency genetic variants in type 1 diabetes mellitus. J Med Genet. 2021;58(5):289-296. Accessed 2026, April 30.  https://jmg.bmj.com/content/58/5/289American Diabetes Association. Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care. 2009;32(Suppl 1):S62–S67. Accessed 2026, April 30. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2613584/ Hoang DT, Matsunari H, Nagaya M, et al. A conserved rule for pancreatic islet organization. PLoS One. 2014;9(10):e110384. Accessed 2026, April 30. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4211668/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes data and research. Atlanta (GA): CDC; 2026 Jan 21. Accessed 2026, April 30. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/php/data-research/index.htmlShapiro AMJ, Lakey JRT, Ryan EA, et al. Islet transplantation in seven patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus using a glucocorticoid-free immunosuppressive regimen. N Engl J Med. 2000;343(4):230–238. Accessed 2026, April 30. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3138095/Kabakchieva P, Assyov Y, Gerasoudis S, Vasilev G, Peshevska-Sekulovska M, Sekulovski M, Lazova S, et al. Islet transplantation-immunological challenges and current perspectives. World J Transplant. 2023 Jun 18;13(4):107–121. doi:10.5500/wjt.v13.i4.107. Accessed 2026, April 30. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10303418/#sec2Eledon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Eledon announces updated data from investigator-initiated islet transplant trial of tegoprubart in patients with type 1 diabetes at UChicago Medicine. Irvine (CA): Eledon Pharmaceuticals; 2026 Mar 16. Accessed 2026, April 30. https://ir.eledon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/eledon-announces-updated-data-investigator-initiated-isletWitkowski P, Philipson LH, Kaufman DB, Ratner LE, Abouljoud MS, Bellin MD, et al. The demise of islet allotransplantation in the United States: A call for an urgent regulatory update. Am J Transplant. 2021 Apr;21(4):1365–1375. doi:10.1111/ajt.16397. PMCID: PMC8016716. Accessed 2026, April 30. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8016716/#S1United States Congress. S.3105 - ISLET Act (119th Congress): A bill to regulate human cadaveric islets for transplantation as organs. Washington (DC): Library of Congress, Congress.gov; 2025 Nov 5. Accessed 2026, April 30. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3105/textWeir GC, Bonner-Weir S. Why pancreatic islets should be regarded and regulated like organs. CellR4 Repair Replace Regen Reprogram. 2021;9:e3083. doi:10.32113/cellr4_20213_3083. PMCID: PMC8006072. Accessed 2026, April 30.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8006072/Share with a friend. Rate, Review, and Subscribe to MedEvidence! Articles to be notified when new episodes are released.Follow us on Social Media:FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInTiktokYoutubeFor more great content, including discussions by physicians and clinical research experts, check out the MedEvidence! Podcast and MedEvidence.comThank you for listening!