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Updated: Sep 26, 2026
A Method for Murine Islet Isolation and Subcapsular Kidney Transplantation
Published on: April 13, 2011
Alternatives to unmodified human islets for transplantation
Alberto Hayek1, Gillian M Beattie
1Whittier Institute, UCSD Department of Pediatrics, 0831, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0831, USA. ahayek@ucsd.edu
Islet transplantation as a procedure to induce insulin independence is still a long way from benefitting the population of more than I million type I diabetic patients in the United States. In addition to the problems involved with immune suppression, the most significant obstacle is a scarcity of human organs for transplantation. In 1999, only 5882 donated pancreases were available, of which only 50% could be expected to produce islet yields suitable for clinical purposes. In this article, we review various sources with the potential to provide tissue for transplantation. These sources include islet and nonislet cells derived from both human and nonhuman sources, with an emphasis on human cells.
Islet transplantation as a procedure to induce insulin independence is still a long way from benefitting the population of more than I million type I diabetic patients in the United States. In addition to the problems involved with immune suppression, the most significant obstacle is a scarcity of human organs for transplantation. In 1999, only 5882 donated pancreases were available, of which only 50% could be expected to produce islet yields suitable for clinical purposes. In this article, we review various sources with the potential to provide tissue for transplantation. These sources include islet and nonislet cells derived from both human and nonhuman sources, with an emphasis on human cells.
