Cellular Islet Autoimmunity and Islet Cell Transplantation

jerry submitted, created time 4 months 2 weeks (www.plosone.org)

Islet cell transplantation can cure type 1 diabetes (T1D), but only a minority of recipients remains insulin–independent in the following years. They tested the hypothesis that allograft rejection and recurrent autoimmunity contribute to this progressive loss of islet allograft function.

Methodology/Principal Findings:
Twenty-one T1D patients received cultured islet cell grafts prepared from multiple donors and transplanted under anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) induction and tacrolimus plus mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) maintenance immunosuppression

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Pigs Could Be the Salvation of Diabetes Sufferers

sumsung submitted, created time 9 months 2 weeks (www.sciam.com)

Most people probably view pigs at best as a source of sustenance or, at worst, as filthy, gluttonous animals. But it seems our porcine pals may also prove invaluable in the fight against type 1 diabetes. Researchers are experimenting with new ways of harvesting insulin-producing islet cells from pigs and transplanting them into diabetes sufferers in the hope of one day reducing the need for daily insulin shots and even replacing them with twice-yearly islet-cell treatments.

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