The Optimal Maturation of Subcutaneous Pouch Can Improve Pancreatic Islets Engraftment in Rat Model.

Background: Transplantation of pancreatic islets into subcutaneous cavities in diabetic rats may be as or even more effective than transplantation into the portal vein. Identifying the optimal timing of the individual steps in this procedure is critical.

Methods: Macroporous scaffolds were placed in the subcutaneous tissue of diabetic male Lewis rats for 7 or 28 d and the healing of the tissue inside the scaffolds was monitored.

The Optimal Timing for Pancreatic Islet Transplantation into Subcutaneous Scaffolds Assessed by Multimodal Imaging.

Subcutaneously implanted polymeric scaffolds represent an alternative transplantation site for pancreatic islets (PIs) with the option of vascularisation enhancement by mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Nevertheless, a proper timing of the transplantation steps is crucial. In this study, scaffolds supplemented with plastic rods were implanted into diabetic rats and two timing schemes for subsequent transplantation of bioluminescent PIs (4 or 7 days after rod removal) were examined by multimodal imaging.

Benefits of Islet Transplantation as an Alternative to Pancreas Transplantation: Retrospective Study of More Than 10 Ten Years of Experience in a Single Center.

Background: Pancreas transplantation (PTx) represents the method of choice in type 1 diabetic patients with conservatively intractable hypoglycemia unawareness syndrome. In 2005, the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM) launched a program to investigate the safety potential of islet transplantation (ITx) in comparison to PTx.

Aim: This study aims to compare the results of PTx and ITx regarding severe hypoglycemia elimination, metabolic control, and complication rate.

[Islet transplantation as a treatment for hypoglycemia unawareness syndrome. Evaluation of the pilot program and comparison with pancreas transplantation].

Islet transplantation (ITx) started in 2005 in IKEM as a potentially safer alternative to pancreas transplantation (PTx), which so far had represented the method of choice in type-1 diabetic patients with conservatively intractable hypoglycemia unawareness syndrome. The aim of the study was to compare these two methods with regard to severe hypoglycemia elimination and to frequency of complications.Up to November 2015 a total number of 48 patients underwent ITx.

Combining Donor Characteristics with Immunohistological Data Improves the Prediction of Islet Isolation Success.

Variability of pancreatic donors may significantly impact the success of islet isolation. The aim of this study was to evaluate donor factors associated with isolation failure and to investigate whether immunohistology could contribute to organ selection. Donor characteristics were evaluated for both successful ( = 61) and failed ( = 98) islet isolations.