Quantcast
Channel: Type 1 Diabetes Blog - JDRF Australia » NHMRC
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 4

JDRF funds research into pig islet transplantation

0
0

Islet CellsJDRF has announced a one year industry partnership with an Australian company to support a clinical trial into the use of encapsulated pig islets to treat type 1 diabetes.

The trial, being conducted in New Zealand by Living Cell Technologies, involves eight adult patients with established type 1 diabetes and hypoglycemia unawareness – a constant inability to sense when blood glucose levels are dropping dangerously low.

Each patient has been surgically implanted with insulin-producing cells taken from specially bred pigs in a technique known as xenotransplantation – the transplantation of animal organs or tissues into humans to cure or treat health conditions.

Xenotransplantation is a growing field of interest for researchers as the use of animal tissues will circumvent the current shortage of human organ donors. It is also controversial in that some scientists believe undetected animal diseases could be transferred to humans.

The pig islet cells used in this trial were taken from a special herd of pigs that live on a remote island off New Zealand. The isolation of the colony has meant they have been theoretically untouched by the diseases that affect mainland pig herds.

The islet cells were also encapsulated in a special new substance made from seaweed – thus protecting the cells from immune attack whilst allowing the appropriate amount of insulin to be released effectively.

Living Cell Technologies scientists believe that using this technique will result in the transplanted cells will be able to safely effectively produce insulin and help control blood glucose levels without needing the harmful life-long regime of immune-suppression drugs that all organ transplant patients currently require.

Early results from the trial have shown that the implants do have an impact with one of the recipients reporting significantly reduced hypoglycemia unawareness.

Whilst xenotransplantation is banned in a number of countries, the New Zealand government has provided special dispensation for this trial to go ahead. The Australian National Health and Research Council has recently overturned a moratorium on animal-to-human transplants but guidelines are yet to be constructed to ensure any local trials are ethically and scientifically sound.

JDRF provides industry partnership funding to a number of large and small companies around the world to advance promising research into a cure for type 1 diabetes and type 1 diabetes complications.

Find out more about these research programs.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 4

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images