Teams at the Perelman School of Medicine (Penn) and Harvard inserted an ultrathin, flexible electronic mesh into developing pancreatic clusters and delivered rhythmic electrical stimulation that accelerated maturation of stem‑cell‑derived islets, reporting results in Science. The implant recorded single‑cell electrical activity and imposed circadian‑like rhythms to enhance glucose responsiveness. Independent groups described complementary 'cyborg' pancreatic organoids that integrate stretchable electronics for real‑time monitoring during differentiation. Researchers framed the approach as analogous to pacemakers for islet electrical programming and said it may reduce functional immaturity that limits cell replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes. Translation will require engineering for biocompatibility, immunoprotection and scalable manufacturing, but the findings offer a concrete engineering lever to bridge the gap between stem‑cell models and therapeutically functional islets.