In people with type 1 diabetes, islets cells are destroyed. Only 1 to 2 percent of the pancreas is made up of islet cells. Transplanting islet cells has several advantages over transplanting a pancreas. Unlike the pancreas transplant, an islet transplant is a minor surgical procedure, is less expensive, and is probably safer. Hopefully one day soon, scientists may learn how to protect these cells from attack by the immune system.
Several methods are already under study.
If successful, the person with an islet transplant would not need to take immunosuppressants. Surgery would then be safer and more effective for many people with type 1 diabetes. There is also much research on the transplantation of animal islets. If we could use animal tissue, then people who need islet transplants would not need to wait for cadaver donors, and many more people could be cured. Islet transplants are still experimental.