Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026
07:44
Pancreatic Islet Isolation and Purification from Lewis Rats Using Enzymatic Digestion and Density-Gradient Separation
Published on: April 3, 2026
Estimation of donor usability for islet isolation with the modified Ricordi method
S Matsumoto1, H Noguchi, N Hatanaka
1Baylor All Saints Medical Center/Baylor Research Institute, Fort Worth, Texas 76104, USA. shinichi41@mac.com
Transplantation Proceedings
|April 1, 2008
Summary
Applying Japanese islet donor criteria could increase usable pancreata for transplantation. This study reevaluated donor usability, potentially enabling over 2500 additional islet isolations annually in the US.
Area of Science:
- Transplantation immunology
- Organ donation and procurement
Background:
- Donor pancreata quality is crucial for successful islet isolation.
- Limited donor pancreata in some regions necessitate using marginal donors with less restrictive criteria.
- The modified Ricordi method was established to optimize the use of marginal donor pancreata.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reevaluate donor pancreatic usability in the United States using Japanese islet donor criteria.
- To assess the potential increase in islet isolation yield by applying these criteria.
Main Methods:
- Review of 236 donor charts from Texas (2005-2006).
- Analysis of reasons for pancreatic non-utilization in transplantation or islet isolation.
- Reevaluation of donor suitability based on Japanese islet donor criteria.
Main Results:
- Out of 194 unused pancreata, reasons for non-use were identified in 186 cases.
- Applying Japanese criteria identified an additional 44% (82 of 186) of previously unsuitable pancreata as viable for islet isolation.
- Currently, over 6000 pancreata are deemed unusable annually in the US.
Conclusions:
- The Japanese islet donor criteria, when applied to US donor data, suggest a significant increase in usable pancreata.
- The modified Ricordi method, in conjunction with Japanese criteria, could potentially facilitate over 2500 additional islet isolations per year in the US.
