Join the movement for islet transplantation access

Real stories. Real voices. Real change.

Help Remove Barriers to Islet Transplantation

A 2-minute advocacy tool for people affected by Type 1 diabetes — tell your story, reach the right officials, and send a message that matters.

  • ✓ Share your connection to T1D
  • ✓ We identify your representatives
  • ✓ We draft the messages — you decide what to send

Nothing is posted or submitted automatically. You stay in control of every action.

Why now

The science is moving. Access is not.

Islet transplantation is producing results that many families once thought were out of reach — including insulin independence in recent clinical trials. Policy and access have not kept pace. Patients, parents, clinicians, and supporters are speaking up to change that.

Eledon dataUChicago trialISLET Act statement
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FAQ and Resources

Want to understand the science and policy behind Project Islet Freedom? Start here.

What are islet cells?

Islet cells are the insulin-producing cells destroyed by Type 1 diabetes. Islet transplantation replaces those cells and may help restore natural insulin production. That is why access to this treatment — and the policies governing it — matters.

What is islet transplantation?

Islet transplantation is a procedure where insulin-producing islet cells are transplanted into a person with Type 1 diabetes. The goal is to help restore insulin production and improve blood sugar control.

Is this a cure?

It is more accurate to call this a potential functional cure pathway. Some people in recent islet transplantation research have achieved insulin independence, but results vary, long-term follow-up matters, and access is still limited.

Why does classification matter?

How islet cells are regulated affects access, cost, availability, and the pathway for transplant centers. Project Islet Freedom advocates for islet transplantation to be treated appropriately as transplantation medicine, not trapped in rules that slow access.

What can HHS do?

HHS can help by modernizing how islet transplantation is regulated and by supporting reclassification under transplantation medicine where appropriate.

What can Congress do?

Congress can support the ISLET Act and help remove policy barriers that limit access to islet transplantation.

Why are you asking people to share their stories?

Policy changes often happen when decision-makers understand the human cost of delay. Real stories from patients, parents, caregivers, clinicians, and supporters can help show why access matters now.

How do stem-cell or manufactured islet cells fit into this?

Project Islet Freedom is not only about donor-derived islets. Donor islet transplantation is showing what may be possible now, while stem-cell-derived, manufactured, encapsulated, and future islet technologies could make this approach more scalable over time. The point is simple: the policy framework needs to keep up with the science.

Why does the NewcelX and Eledon collaboration matter?

NewcelX and Eledon announced a collaboration to pair NewcelX’s stem-cell-derived islet replacement platform with Eledon’s anti-CD40L antibody, tegoprubart. That matters because one piece of the puzzle is replacing insulin-producing cells, and another is protecting those cells from immune rejection. Together, these approaches could help move islet replacement closer to a scalable functional-cure pathway.

Learn more

Eledon Pharmaceuticals — Tegoprubart islet transplantation dataUpdated data from the UChicago investigator-initiated trial reported 100% insulin independence in 10 patients more than four weeks post-transplant, with the 12-patient cohort fully enrolled.UChicago Medicine clinical trial — Tegoprubart / AT-1501 and islet transplantationClinical trial page explaining tegoprubart, also known as AT-1501, and its role in helping protect transplanted islet cells.Dr. Piotr Witkowski / UChicago study pageStudy page for the UChicago islet transplantation trial using tegoprubart as part of a calcineurin-inhibitor-free immunosuppression regimen.NewcelX + Eledon strategic collaborationScience and access resource about NewcelX and Eledon pairing a stem-cell-derived islet replacement platform with tegoprubart immune-protection research.NewcelX — IsletRx for Type 1 DiabetesInformation about NewcelX’s IsletRx program and its work on cell-based approaches for Type 1 diabetes.Breakthrough T1D — Deceased donor islet cell transplantation 101Plain-English overview of deceased donor islet cell transplantation and why it matters for people with Type 1 diabetes.Breakthrough T1D — Statement on islet cell availability and the ISLET ActBreakthrough T1D statement about islet cell availability, access, and the ISLET Act.Breakthrough T1D — Cell therapiesBackground on islet cell therapies and manufactured cell therapy approaches for Type 1 diabetes.Breakthrough T1D — Cell therapies in clinical trialsOverview of Type 1 diabetes cell therapy research moving through clinical trials.Breakthrough T1D UK — Vertex lab-grown islet cell trialsPlain-English resource about Vertex clinical trials using lab-grown islet cells.Reuters — Novo Nordisk and Aspect Biosystems diabetes cell therapy partnershipReporting on a diabetes cell therapy partnership focused on advancing cell-based approaches.Reuters — 3D printed insulin-producing cellsReporting on early research using 3D printed insulin-producing cells for Type 1 diabetes.ClinicalTrials.gov — Islet cell transplant researchClinicalTrials.gov listing describing islet transplantation research and outcomes such as reducing severe low blood sugar and improving blood sugar control.