Comparison of harvesting methods for islet transplantation

One problem preventing islet transplantation becoming a clinical reality in the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes is the unsatisfactory, low yield processes for harvesting islets. This study was designed to find the most effective harvesting process and to examine the feasibility of obtaining more than one graft from a single pancreas. After confirming that normoglycaemia at one month could be achieved in dogs using 50 per cent of an autograft prepared by a previously established method, novel techniques were assessed using 33 per cent of the tissue obtained. An isolation process involving perfusion of the duct by enzymes allowed normoglycaemia using only one-third of the graft preparation and these animals exhibited significantly improved glucose handling and insulin output when compared with recipients of grafts prepared by the established method. A significant improvement in harvesting technique has, therefore, been demonstrated and this will exploit the potential of multiple donor grafts in islet transplantation and the method may be worthy of trial in the human gland.