Posted on 04/19/2005 7:43:25 AM PDT by Founding Father
Pancreatic Cell Transplant from Living Donor Could Treat Diabetes
19 Apr 2005
Japanese researchers have successfully reversed a woman's diabetes by transplanting insulinmaking cells (islets) from a living donor's pancreas into her, reporting their results in a research letter published online today by The Lancet. This is the first successful operation of its kind using the islets from a living donor.
Since the success of islet transplantation in 2000 from the organs of dead donors, demand for the procedure has risen substantially and donors will soon be in very short supply. Islet transplantation from living donors represent an alternative approach to expand the potential donor pool, particularly in countries like Japan where the number of people donating their organs after death is low. Two previous attempts at transplantation from living donors have been carried out in US but were unsuccessful.
The donor was a 56-year-old woman who was the mother of the recipient. She had a compatible blood group and had healthy glucose and insulin concentrations. The recipient was a 27-year-old woman who had developed insulin-dependent diabetes when she was 15 years old. She had been admitted to hospital to control her frequent hypoglycaemic episodes, where her blood sugar levels would drop below normal. She received insulin injections every day in hospital.
Shinichi Matsumoto (Kyoto University Hospital, Japan) and colleagues isolated islet cells from the donor and transplanted them into the recipient's liver at Kyoto University Hospital on Jan 19, 2005. After the operation they monitored the patient's blood glucose. The investigators gradually weaned the recipient off insulin and she became insulinindependent 22 days after the transplantation. She has now been insulin independent for 2 months. The donor had no complications and both women have a healthy tolerance to glucose.
http://www.thelancet.com
Amazing...God bless the incredible work of scientists everywhere
What a miracle breakthrough that would be!
There would be even more organs available if more people would sign up as potential organ donors. The supply of organs from people who have died is a tiny fraction of what it could be.
We need to set up a registration procedure and a priority list so those who have registered as potential donors are first on the list if the time comes that they need one. In other words in order to get an organ, you have to be willing to give one...and have said so in advance.
The shortage would disappear in no time!
As a note of caution, this result has been achieved before, but IIRC after about two years the need for insulin returns. The main innovation is the use of living donors, but the other problems of transplants (including having to take immunosuppressants) may remain.
Exciting indeed -- my son was diagnosed about 10 days ago.
What about having to take anti-rejection drugs after procedures such as this? The side effects of those can be worse than the hassle of diabetes, right? Islet transplants are not new. Whether the donor is dead or alive doesn't change the necessity for the harsh anti-rejection drugs.
I am sorry to hear about your son---I know it is hard.
How old is he?
My granddaughter was diagnosed in December--she is 5 years old---she gets tested 6-7 times a day plus her insulin shots a couple times a day---
But, we have been told by a lot of doctors that by the time she is a teenager they hope to have a cure--
I have contacted the Chilren's Diabetes Foundation in the past, because there were rumors that the Juvenile Diabetes Association was using embryonic stem cells for testing for a cure--- I contacted the CDF because it was through that foundation that we got all of our books and information from the hospital---
Anyway, the CDF told me that they are also using pancreatic stems cells from live donors---so here in America they are also doing this---
I will include your son in my prayers when I pray for Kailey each night---
If I can help let me know, okay?
My son is 10 -- same basic regimen. The diabetes team jumped in with both feet within a couple of hours after my son was admitted to the hospital. They set us up with training, dieticians, glucose meters, more training, more folks, and oh, by the way, get in touch with....
Really an amazing thing.
While it's hard getting used to the changes, in many ways it's a lot better: he's feeling better than he has in months, which makes it easier for the rest of us. We also had wonderful support (prayers and otherwise) from a lot of people, and that was really gratifying.
So, although we'd wish things were otherwise, it's still good.
It has been 4 months since Kailey was diagnosed and I still get nervous--I am the only one that has been able to keep her overnight (besides her parents) because I just am determined not to let her life change too much--
We all take turns going up to school every day to make sure she eats all of her lunch, otherwise she will mess around not eat, and her blood sugar goes so low, she passes out---
She is still in the "honeymoon period" which is kinda good, but he BS can fluctuate from 66 to 250 in a matter of hours even with everyone doing everything correctly--so don't panic, if yours does that...
If you just need someone to talk to about YOUR fears, let me know, cause I have gotten so scared that I have done something wrong SO MANY TIMES---
BTW, yours is old enough to go to the summer camps for kids that they have--Kailey is too young for the sleepover camp, just the day camp, but she will have so much fun playing with kids that really understand what it is like to be "pricked" every few hours--
forgive my ignorance, but are pancreatic cells like liver cells? do the healty ones grow?
I wonder if healty pancreatic cells can be "harvested" and grown? Harvested out of the person themselves.
The article doesn't specify type one or two. I suspect tpye one.
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