Islet cell transplantation can free people with Type 1 diabetes from daily insulin injections.

In Type 1 diabetes, the body's own immune system turns rogue. It destroys the islet cells in the pancreas that make insulin. To fix this, doctors can take healthy islet cells from deceased organ donors and infuse them directly into a patient's liver. These transplanted cells settle down, find a blood supply, and start measuring blood sugar and releasing insulin naturally. Known as the Edmonton Protocol, this treatment has successfully freed many patients from daily insulin injections. But there is a catch. The patient's immune system tries to destroy the new cells. To stop this, patients must take powerful drugs to suppress their immune system for the rest of their lives. These drugs carry heavy side effects, meaning this treatment is reserved only for the most severe cases.