The development of organ preservation solutions and associated technology has been a major effort in tissue transplantation recently. However, this research takes a great deal of time and resources. In this study, a novel method for the evaluation of preservation solutions was established by using islet cells. Primary islets were obtained by hand-picking method from the luciferase transgenic (Luc-Tg) rat pancreas. The viability rate and living condition of islets preserved with several solutions were evaluated by relative photon intensity. Preserved islets were transplanted to the renal capsule of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic NOD-scid mouse, and the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) and histology were analyzed. The Luc-Tg rat islet viability was increased in a relative photon intensity-dependent manner. In the recipients of ET-Kyoto (ET-K) or University of Wisconsin (UW) solution preserved Luc-Tg rat islet at 1 day, hyperglycemia induced by glucose injection declined to the normal range. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the ET-K preservation method allowed tissue ATP synthesis and amelioration of cold ischemic tissues damage during extended 24 h isolated-islet preservation. This simple method will be adapted easily to the clinical setting and used to maximize the utilization of islet transplantation as well as for pancreas sharing with remote centers.