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Automated method for isolation of human pancreatic islets
C Ricordi1, P E Lacy, E H Finke
1Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110.
Diabetes
|April 1, 1988
Summary
Researchers developed an automated method for isolating human pancreatic islets, achieving high yield and purity for transplantation. This technique minimizes damage and intervention, enabling further clinical trials.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Transplantation Biology
- Surgical Innovation
Background:
- Human pancreatic islet isolation is crucial for treating type 1 diabetes.
- Current methods often involve significant manual labor and can cause islet damage.
- Improving islet yield and purity is essential for successful transplantation outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an automated method for human pancreatic islet isolation.
- To ensure minimal traumatic impact on islets during the isolation process.
- To achieve high yield and purity of isolated human islets for clinical applications.
Main Methods:
- An automated digestion and isolation system was designed for human pancreases.
- Continuous digestion process to minimize enzymatic exposure.
- Purification using Ficoll gradients to separate islets from exocrine tissue.
Main Results:
- Average yield of 164,600 islets per pancreas (2279 islets/g).
- Average purity of isolated islets reached 78.5%.
- Isolated islets were morphologically intact, with normal beta-granulation and responsive insulin secretion.
Conclusions:
- The automated method provides a high yield and purity of functional human pancreatic islets.
- This technique minimizes trauma and human intervention, making it suitable for clinical use.
- The procedure is being advanced to the second phase of clinical trials for islet transplantation.