From pancreas and islet resources to diabetes insights – published online 01/05/2026

Sing-Young Chen, Christiana Lekka, Jonas Lemvig, Xiaoyan Yi, Miriam Cnop, Piero Marchetti, Lorella Marselli, Jianguo Xia, Jesper G. S. Madsen, Teresa Rodriguez-Calvo, Sarah J. Richardson, James D. Johnson, Patrick E. MacDonald

Human pancreatic islets are central to the pathogenesis of all major forms of diabetes yet, for decades, limited access to high-quality human tissue has hindered research at scale. In this issue, Chen et al (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-026-06731-4) review the evolving global landscape of human pancreas biobanks and islet distribution programmes. They detail how major consortia, such as nPOD, IIDP and ADI IsletCore, have transitioned from simple tissue repositories to sophisticated phenotyping initiatives that capture the immense variability of human islet function. The authors highlight an expanding ecosystem of data platforms that are democratising access to multi-omics, high-resolution imaging and functional datasets. By advocating for improved donor diversity and the integration of data analysis tools, including artificial intelligence, to harmonise global data, this review underscores how open science and international collaboration are paving the way for personalised therapies and a deeper understanding of diabetes mechanisms. The figures from this review are available as a downloadable slideset.