WASHINGTON – Sen. Susan Collins of Maine authored and introduced bipartisan legislation Tuesday that aims to increase pancreatic islet cell transplants, a promising medical advance in the search for a cure for Type I or juvenile diabetes.

In 2000, researchers made a major medical breakthrough with the discovery that pancreatic islet cell transplantation can reverse life-disabling hypoglycemia and helps an overwhelming number of juvenile diabetes patients maintain normal glucose levels without insulin shots.

As the science advances, new sources of islet cells must be found. The legislation aims to increase the supply of pancreases for this treatment and to help collect necessary data to move islet cell transplantation from an experimental procedure to a standard therapy.