Islet Cell Transplantation is a surgical procedure to provide a cure for Type 1 [Juvenile] diabetes. In a normal pancreas, about 2% of the organ’s mass is composed of tissues called Islets of Langerhans. These islets are composed of multiple cell types, including beta cells, which produce insulin for proper metabolism. The body’s own immune system attacks and destroys beta cells in Type 1 [juvenile] diabetes.
One cure for this disease is to replace the lost and damaged islets with normal islets from a cadaveric donor. These donor islets are deposited in the patient’s liver via a catheter, where they begin to supply the insulin needed for the diabetic recipient. Success rates for this procedure were generally under 10% until the summer of 2000, when the Edmonton Protocol results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The Edmonton Protocol or a variation of it has been applied to approximately 150 diabetic patients worldwide and success rates have been generally high. Approximately 80 percent of those followed one year or more post-transplant are still free from the need for injected insulin. Those still requiring some insulin have considerably improved blood sugar and symptom control. UAB will begin Islet Transplantation using the Edmonton Protocol.
MILESTONES IN THE UAB ISLET TRANSPLANT PROGRAM
August 2001 —The UAB Islet Isolation Laboratory began operation.
August 2002 —The 12th in a series of successful islet isolations was completed at UAB.
September 2002 —The official application for federal approval to begin human transplants at UAB was submitted to the Food and Drug Administration.
October 2002
- FDA granted approval to UAB to begin an Islet Transplant Clinical Trial at UAB.
- Submission for Institutional approval to proceed with the clinical trial was made.
- The first of two papers on human islet cytoprotection appears in the journal Transplantation.
November 2002 —The second paper on human islet cytoprotection appears in the journal Transplantation.