Over the past six years, the EU Horizon 2020-funded ISLET project has advanced research into innovative cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes (T1D), addressing one of the condition’s greatest challenges: replacing the insulin-producing beta cells destroyed by the immune system.
ISLET brings together leading academic, clinical and patient organisations from across Europe to develop stem cell–derived islet therapies and the manufacturing, regulatory and scientific pathways needed to translate them from the laboratory to early clinical use. The project focuses on producing advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) that more closely resemble human islets, with the aim of improving therapeutic potential and long-term outcomes for people living with T1D.
To showcase the current state of islet cell research and its future directions, IDF Europe has developed a new video series featuring key ISLET investigators and scientific leaders. In these interviews, researchers reflect on the translational aspects of islet therapy, the scientific and regulatory challenges of developing advanced cell therapies, and what the next phase of islet research could mean for T1D care in Europe.
