Research Offers Promise for Type 1 Diabetes Treatment

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EMBARGOED until 3 p.m. central time, Feb. 15, 2005

Contact: Sara Buss, Academic Health Center, 612-624-2449
              Molly Portz, Academic Health Center, 612-625-2640

U of M RESEARCH OFFERS PROMISE FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES TREATMENT
Single-donor pancreas islet transplantation study published in JAMA

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (Feb. 10, 2005) -- Researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation (DIIT) reversed type 1 diabetes after transplantation of insulin-producing islet cells prepared from a single- donor pancreas. All eight recipients with type 1 diabetes enrolled in the clinical trial attained insulin independence post-transplant. Five of the eight recipients remained insulin-independent for more than one year.

The research, led by Dr. Bernhard J. Hering, associate professor of surgery and holder of the Eunice L. Dwan Diabetes Research Chair at the University of Minnesota, will be published in the Feb. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In the past, islets from more than one donor pancreas were needed for transplant into each donor recipient, but Hering and his team were able to restore insulin independence in transplant recipients after transplantation of islets prepared from a single-donor pancreas.

“For islet transplants to become a viable treatment option for those living with type 1 diabetes, we must find a way to make the process more efficient and cost-effective,” Hering said.  “Our findings may have implications for the ongoing transition of islet transplants from clinical investigation to routine clinical care.”

Islet transplants seek to address an unmet medical need in people with type 1 diabetes who suffer frequent acute and severe chronic complications. The transplant process is performed by isolating islet cells from a donor pancreas and transplanting them into the portal vein of the liver in people with type 1 diabetes. If successful, transplanted islets will sense blood glucose levels on a minute-to-minute basis and release the appropriate amount of insulin to achieve tight blood glucose control. Insulin injections are no longer needed in recipients of successful transplants.

As a result, islet recipients may have fewer and less severe episodes of low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia), which can lead to unconsciousness and seizures.  Transplantation also offers hope in reducing the risk of developing debilitating secondary complications of diabetes, such as damage to the heart and blood vessels, eyes, nerves, and kidneys.

While the reported findings may suggest a distinct advance in islet transplantation, Hering said further study in a larger population with a longer follow-up period will be critical in assessing the risk-benefit ratio of this emerging therapeutic option. The procedure is still investigational and only available to those participating in clinical trials.

The Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation (DIIT) was formed in 1994 to capitalize on the University of Minnesota’s historic leadership in pancreas and islet cell transplantation. Both of these advanced treatments for diabetes were pioneered here. Under the leadership of David E.R. Sutherland, M.D., Ph.D., both procedures have continued to be refined. The University of Minnesota is the home of the world’s oldest, largest pancreas transplant program, having performed over 1,600 pancreas transplants, which are frequently preceded, accompanied, or succeeded by a kidney transplant.

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