Advances in Islet Transplantation for Type 1 Diabetes: From Conventional Methods to Stem Cell-Derived Therapies
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Aim: This review aims to comprehensively evaluate islet transplantation as a treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), exploring its mechanisms, clinical applications, current challenges, and future potential. Additionally, we explore the potential of stem cell-derived β-cells and the technologies used to differentiate pluripotent stem cells into insulin-producing cells. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using three electronic databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. A total of 71 peer-reviewed articles published between 1979 and 2025 were selected based on keywords such as islet transplantation, pancreatic islet cells, stem cell-derived β-cells, and immunosuppression. The analysis primarily focused on the most recent publications, with additional selection criteria including the number of citations and the sample size of the study population. Results: Islet transplantation is a promising therapy for selected T1DM patients, particularly those experiencing severe glycemic instability. While autologous transplantation following total pancreatectomy effectively preserves endogenous insulin production, allogeneic transplantation remains constrained by donor scarcity and immune-related challenges. The Edmonton protocol has significantly improved graft survival; however, long-term immunosuppression presents considerable risks. Advances in pluripotent stem cell-derived β-cells offer a potential solution to the donor shortage, demonstrating functional insulin secretion in both preclinical and early clinical studies. Alternative transplantation sites, such as the rectus abdominis muscle, have shown promise in enhancing graft viability and function. Conclusions: Islet transplantation, despite its limitations, remains a viable therapeutic strategy for T1DM patients with poor glycemic control. Stem cell-derived islets represent a breakthrough in overcoming donor shortages, yet further large-scale trials are required to validate their efficacy and safety. Continued research on optimizing transplantation techniques and immunosuppressive strategies will be essential for the future of β-cell replacement therapy.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.004 | 0.005 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.006 | 0.006 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.003 | 0.003 |
| Open science | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Research integrity | 0.002 | 0.001 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.003 | 0.001 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".