Diabetes 1 - Islet transplantation success continues

(I-Newswire) July 4, 2005 - Islets are the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. Researchers have been refining the transplant technique which allows people with Type 1 diabetes to begin producing their own insulin again.

Normally islets from two or three donor pancreases are used for the transplants but last week the Royal Free Hospital in London announced positive results after a woman with Type 1 diabetes received islets from just one donor pancreas. Within a day of the transplant her insulin requirements had dropped considerably and within three weeks she was on a dose of just four units of insulin a day.

"The progress being made in islet transplantation is exciting," said Jo Brodie, Islet Project Coordinator at Diabetes UK.

"The technique is complex but the islet consortium in the UK is having regular successes and the process is being constantly refined. There is still a long way to go but we hope that eventually, islet transplantation may be offered as an effective treatment for Type 1 diabetes."

So far, islet transplants have taken place at King's College Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital in London and at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Work is also going on in Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leicester, Newcastle and Worcester.

Further information:
Islet Cell Transplantation
http://www.diabetes.org.uk

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