Method could boost diabetes therapy

Transplants of insulin-producing tissue, called islets, have helped some people with type I diabetes control their blood sugar and get healthier. But there’s a critical shortage of transplantable islets, which are clumps of pancreatic tissue containing insulin-producing beta cells.

PUMPING INSULIN. Once implanted into mice, islets cultured on a protein matrix (top) secrete more insulin (red) than islets cultured in traditional liquid media (bottom).