Comparison of fetal porcine aggregates of purified beta-cells versus islet-like cell clusters as a treatment of diabetes.

Fetal pig islet-like cell clusters (ICCs) have the potential to reverse diabetes 1-5 months after transplantation. In a fetal ICC, however, beta-cells constitute only 6-8% of the cells, in contrast to 65% in an adult pig islet. Attempts to purify fetal beta-cells from cell clusters and compare their function to that of ICCs have not been shown previously.

Porcine pancreatic icosapeptide as a marker of graft survival and rejection in xenotransplantation.

The previous study showed that it is possible to monitor the viability of xenografted fetal pig pancrease in the first 3 weeks after transplantation in a normoglycemic immunoincompetent mouse [1]. This is achieved by measuring serum levels of porcine pancreatic icosapeptide (PI) in the host using a specific immunoassay. PI is secreted from the pancreatic polypeptide (PP) cell, the first mature endocrine cell of the fetal pig pancreas.