Pancreas & Islet Transplant

Dr. Hasan with diabetes patient in an exam room

Leading Diabetes Treatment & Research for 100 Years

Breakthroughs made at the University of Chicago Medicine have shaped today's treatment of diabetes. Notably, one of our researchers played a crucial role in the discovery of insulin — an event that has saved countless lives of people with Type 1 diabetes. More recently, we were the first hospital in Illinois to perform a pancreas transplant for a patient with advanced diabetes. Currently, we are also testing another exciting, but experimental, treatment for Type 1 diabetes known as islet transplantation.

Islet Transplant Clinical Trials for Diabetes

We are among a select number of hospitals in the country testing the effectiveness of islet transplants. Islet transplants are intended to treat advanced Type 1 diabetes by replacing destroyed islets with new ones. The islet cells from a deceased donor's pancreas are removed and injected into a patient's liver so they may begin to make insulin. No surgery is needed. Though promising, we still don't know the long-term benefits and risks of this procedure, which is why we are active in multiple clinical trials.