Islet Cell Transplantation (cont.)
What Clinical Trials Are Researching Islet Cell Transplantation?
A clinical trial is a research program conducted with patients in order to evaluate new medical treatments, drugs, or devices. Several clinical trials are being developed to further evaluate islet cell transplantation in diabetes patients. They include:
- A general study of islet cell transplantation following the "Edmonton Protocol" (sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases -- NIDDK)
- A study to modify existing procedures to allow for successful islet cell transplantation from a single donor pancreas, enabling more patients to be treated (sponsored by the National Center for Research Resources and Juvenile Diabetes Association International)
- A study to evaluate islet cell transplantation as a therapy for hypoglycemia , or low blood sugar (sponsored by the National Center for Research Resources)
Also, the National Center for Research Resources, the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation International are seeking to establish six islet cell resource
centers across the U.S. These centers will be responsible for locating donor
organs, preparing the islet cells for transplantation, and distributing the
cells to hospitals participating in approved clinical trials.
Because of the lack of sufficient donors, scientists are exploring other ways
to replace damaged pancreas islet cells. One line of research has been the use
of stem cells. Stem cells are very young cells that have the potential to
develop into any mature cell of the body (like a heart cell or a brain cell).
Diabetes researchers can coax these stem cells into developing into pancreatic
islet (beta) cells that are fully functional. Some early studies of this type of
transplantation for type 1 diabetes look promising.
Reviewed by Certified Diabetes Educators in the Department of Patient Education and Health Information and by physicians in the Department of Endocrinology at The Cleveland Clinic.
Edited by Brunilda Nazario , MD,
WebMD, October
2004.
Portions of this page copyright © The Cleveland Clinic
2000-2005
Last Editorial Review: 5/25/2005
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