One of the biggest stories in type 1 diabetes research right now is coming from an investigator-led study at the University of Chicago Medicine, where 12 people with longstanding type 1 diabetes have become insulin-independent after receiving transplanted islet cells.

And honestly? That's incredible.

Twelve people who previously relied on insulin every day are now producing enough of their own insulin to maintain healthy blood sugar levels without injections or a pump.

When you hear news like that, it's hard not to wonder: Did they just cure type 1 diabetes?

Not exactly.

These results are genuinely exciting, but they're also easy to misunderstand. This isn't a finished therapy that's ready for millions of people living with type 1 diabetes. Instead, it's an important scientific step that could help researchers develop future treatments that are more scalable and accessible.

Let's break down what's really happening — and why so many people are paying attention.

Hey, tech nerds! I’ve lived with type 1 diabetes for about 27 years, since 1999. I actually diagnosed myself at 13 years old during a 7th grade health fair. I had all of the symptoms on my classmate’s poster. I said, “Mom, I think I have diabetes,” and she said, “No, only old people get that.” Well, a week later, I felt so terrible that she finally took me to the doctor. The diagnosis was pretty obvious with a blood sugar of 600 mg/dL.

Since then, I’ve been studying my own diabetes as much as I can — because that’s honestly the only way to thrive. You cannot expect your healthcare team to teach you everything. We have to jump in and learn on our own. In my early 20s, I accidentally fell in love with weightlifting and competitive powerlifting. But get this: the first endocrinologist I asked for help actually laughed at me. (I set a dozen records in amateur drug-free powerlifting meets over the next two years without his help.) Along the way, though, I realized how much cool information and science there is to learn about managing type 1. And we can learn it. I’ll occasionally be writing pieces for Diabetech, so stay tuned for more articles like this coming soon.

I’ve been sharing everything I learn with you through books, articles, podcasts, guides, and videos. Now lets get back to the Eledon trial…

The insulin-producing islet cells used in this study came from deceased organ donors. That's important because it creates an immediate bottleneck. There simply aren't enough donor pancreases available to provide islet cells for the millions of people living with type 1 diabetes worldwide.

Researchers know this. Eledon knows this. Dr. Piotr Witkowski and his team know this.

Nobody involved in this research believes donor islet cells are the long-term solution for the broader type 1 diabetes population.

Instead, donor cells are helping researchers answer a different question: Can transplanted insulin-producing cells survive and function long-term when protected by tegoprubart?

If the answer continues to be yes, then researchers may eventually be able to pair tegoprubart with manufactured insulin-producing cells, including stem-cell-derived islet cells that can be produced at much larger scale.

In other words, the donor cells may not be the most important part of this story. The immune protection strategy might be.

When people hear the word "cure," they often imagine a one-time treatment or maybe a daily pill. That's not what's happening here. Participants in this study receive tegoprubart through an intravenous infusion every 21 days. Every three weeks. For most people, that's a significant commitment.

Imagine scheduling infusion appointments for the rest of your life just to maintain the therapy.

While tegoprubart appears to be working remarkably well, it's difficult to imagine this exact treatment regimen becoming practical for millions of people.

That doesn't mean the approach won't work — it simply means researchers will likely need to find ways to make it easier, more convenient, and more accessible over time.

Another detail that sometimes gets lost in headlines is that participants aren't receiving only tegoprubart. They're also receiving an immunosuppressant called Myfortic.

That means researchers are still learning exactly how these medications work together to protect transplanted islet cells.

This doesn't diminish the results. Not at all.

What we can confidently say is that the overall treatment regimen appears to be working extraordinarily well. But science is rarely as simple as a headline. Researchers are still figuring out how much each individual medication contributes to the success seen so far.

One point that causes a lot of confusion online is the fact that this isn't an FDA registration trial. This is an investigator-led clinical study conducted by Dr. Piotr Witkowski and the University of Chicago Medicine.

That means the university and the study investigators are responsible for conducting the research and overseeing participant safety.

The primary purpose of the study is to answer an important scientific question: Can tegoprubart successfully protect transplanted insulin-producing cells?

So far, the answer appears very encouraging. At the same time, Eledon is paying close attention.

The study has produced remarkable results, with all 12 treated participants achieving insulin independence. As a result, Eledon is actively working with the FDA to better understand what a future regulatory pathway for tegoprubart in islet cell transplantation could look like.

So while this study itself isn't being submitted for FDA approval, the results could help shape what comes next. Think of it as generating the evidence needed to determine whether tegoprubart deserves to move further down the road toward commercialization.

Eledon is already supporting a second investigator-led study at the University of Chicago. This trial is evaluating tegoprubart in islet transplant recipients who also have impaired kidney function.

At the same time, the company is continuing discussions with regulators to better understand what additional studies would be required if tegoprubart is eventually going to become part of an FDA-approved therapy.

In other words, this isn't the end of the story. It's the beginning of the next chapter.

If researchers want to transform these results into a therapy that could reach large numbers of people with type 1 diabetes, two major challenges still need solutions:

Donor cells aren't scalable. Researchers need a dependable source of manufactured insulin-producing cells that can be produced consistently and in large quantities. Fortunately, multiple companies—including Vertex and several others—are already working on exactly that.

Receiving IV infusions every 21 days isn't realistic for most people. Researchers will likely need to develop a more convenient way to deliver immune protection if they hope to make this approach practical outside of highly specialized transplant programs. That's why many experts view these results as a proof-of-concept. An extremely successful proof-of-concept, but still a proof-of-concept.

This is one of the questions I get most often.

The answer comes down largely to where the programs are in development.

Vertex's cell therapy programs are FDA-regulated clinical trials that are specifically designed to support potential commercialization and regulatory approval.

Because of that, communication around participants and outcomes tends to be more tightly controlled. The University of Chicago study is helping answer an important scientific question about immune protection.

Vertex is already further down the path of developing a commercial product. Those are different stages of the same broader journey. Neither approach guarantees a cure, but both are helping move the work of curing type 1 diabetes forward.

This is the part nobody really talks about.

But it can also be frustrating. Because most of us can't access these therapies today. Maybe not for years. 

You read these stories and part of you thinks: "That's amazing." And another part of you thinks: "When is it my turn?"

I think both reactions are completely understandable. Hope and frustration often travel together when you live with type 1 diabetes.

These results deserve to be celebrated. Twelve people with longstanding type 1 diabetes are living without insulin because of this research. That's a remarkable achievement.

The fact that every participant treated so far has achieved insulin independence makes the findings even more compelling. At the same time, this isn't a finished cure.

What we're really seeing is strong evidence that tegoprubart may be an effective way to protect transplanted insulin-producing cells. Now, researchers need to figure out how to pair that success with a scalable cell source and a treatment plan that's practical for everyday life.

That's why this study matters so much. Not because it's the “finish line,” but because it may be helping researchers identify the road that eventually gets us there.

For more, watch my video on YouTube: The Problem with Eledon’s Cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

P.s. Join our platform, Diabetes Nerd Network, to learn about clinical trial opportunities! The Diabetes Nerd Network is a growing community of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. As our community grows, we become a resourceful hub for researchers looking to recruit engaged people affected by diabetes. It’s always free to join. (Parents of children with diabetes are welcome, too!) The Diabetes Nerd Network was cofounded by Ginger Vieira and Tara Mayo.

Disclaimer: Diabetech content is not medical advice—it’s for educational purposes only. Always consult with a healthcare team before making changes to your treatment.