How Do I Qualify for One?

	Clinical Trial Registration Current Clinical Trials Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Frequently Asked Questions About Eligibility Frequently Asked Questions About Exclusion Criteria General Information About Clinical Trials

At this time, islet transplants are performed only in research studies called clinical trials through the University of Minnesota's Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation (DIIT).  They are not yet a standard procedure that is offered through the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

The main purpose of clinical trials is to establish that islet transplantation is safe and effective for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes.  Also, continuing clinical trials are necessary to further improve the success rate of all aspects of islet transplantation.

All clinical trials are monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The FDA documents that surgical procedures and medications are safe and effective through clinical research before making them more widely available to the general public.

Because islet transplants are in clinical trials, they are only available to people who fit defined criteria.  If you are interested in participating in an islet transplant clinical trial, we encourage you to complete the clinical trial registration form through our secure online registration process.  Completion of this form ensures that your information is in our database so that you will be considered for participation in clinical trials. Once you have completed the registration form, you will remain in our database and be considered for current and future clinical trials. Keep in mind that completion of this form does not guarantee inclusion in the clinical trials and that a physician’s recommendation that a person with diabetes is a “good candidate for an islet transplant” does not ensure that a person meets the specific criteria demanded by the study protocol.

If you are considering an islet transplant, you may want to consider a pancreas transplant as a potential treatment option.  Pancreas transplants are available to a broader group of people and are performed as a standard of care through The Transplant Center at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.