Pancreas transplantation. Experimental and clinical trials

The ever increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus has stimulated the immunologic investigations concerned with the role of heredity and the toleration rate of transplants of pancreas organ or islet structures. Concomitant or subsequent trials have attempted to define or avoid the apparently diabetogenic factors. With respect to the effectiveness of diabetes therapy, one cannot deny the contrast between the practical and the theoretical aspects. Besides the technical difficulties, the pancreas organ or islet cell transplants are confronted with the still limited possibilities of immunosuppression. The recent concept of a bioartificial organ is an attempt to avoid such disadvantages. The present paper is a review of the main achievements of the experimental and the clinical trials in the above-mentioned directions of research work.