The use of human fetal pancreas for transplantation: experimental and clinical results

Human fetal pancreata (15-22 weeks of gestation) were precultivated in vitro for 7 to 25 days and transplanted subcutaneously to thymusaplastic nude mice and an insulin-dependent diabetic patient. In mice, precultivated xenotransplanted pancreata showed typical transplant growth in the recipients. Histology revealed typical islets formation. Whereas without precultivation human fetal pancreas older than 16 weeks showed no transplant growth, after precultivation human fetal pancreas even up to 22 weeks of gestation developed. Transplantation of a precultivated human fetal pancreas to a diabetic patient was without effect, e.g. the required insulin dose remained unchanged after transplantation and no C-peptide was detectable.