Islet Cell Trial Frees All 12 Patients From Insulin
Every participant in an early Eledon-run transplant study has become insulin-independent, though researchers stop short of calling it a cure.
Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Diabetes
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In a trial at the University of Chicago, all 12 participants who received islet cell transplants have become insulin-independent. Katie Beth Hand, a Type 1 diabetic of 13 years, has gone 256 days without insulin since her January transplant.
Why it matters
The approach targets the immune attack that destroys insulin-producing cells in Type 1 diabetes, a condition affecting nearly nine million people worldwide. If later trials confirm the results, it could change treatment for the roughly two million Americans living with the disease.
The evidence comes from a small early-stage trial of 12 participants, all of whom have become insulin-independent, compared against a U.S. population of about two million people with Type 1 diabetes. Long-term durability and outcomes in larger groups remain unresolved.
The players
Eledon Pharmaceuticals
Eledon Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company developing immunology therapies, including Tegoprubart, used in the islet cell transplant trial.
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university whose medical center hosts the Eledon islet cell transplant trial.
The details
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system destroys the pancreatic cells that make insulin. The trial transplants insulin-producing islet cells back into the body and uses the immune therapy medicine Tegoprubart to protect them from attack. Researchers have not described the results as a cure, and more trials must be completed before FDA approval.
Timeline
January: Hand received her islet cell transplant as part of the Eledon trial at the University of Chicago.
March: Hand began noticing the trial's effectiveness.
November 15, 2026: Coverage was published on World Diabetes Day.
Health Landscape
This result builds on decades of islet transplantation research aimed at replacing daily insulin injections with restored natural insulin production. It positions immune-protective drugs like Tegoprubart as a possible next step beyond earlier transplant approaches that required lifelong immune suppression.
For people with Type 1 diabetes, this research points toward a possible future where daily insulin injections are no longer required. Access will depend on further trial results and FDA approval, so current treatment routines remain unchanged for now.
The takeaway
The result suggests that immune-protected islet transplants could one day free people with Type 1 diabetes from insulin. Patients should continue current treatment and discuss emerging options with their doctors as larger trials report.
What happens next
Further trials must be completed before the treatment can be considered for FDA approval.
Further reading
Explore more diabetes research and treatment news to see how new therapies are progressing.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Q2 News (KTVQ).
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