Issue 159 Item 7 Modified Pig Pancreas Cells Reverse Diabetes

The data was presented by the University of Minnesota’s Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation. and Immerge BioTherapeutics on June 3 at the American Transplant Congress.
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The study involved the transplantation of islet cells purified from genetically modified pigs into the pancreas of diabetic cynomolgus monkeys.

"In this swine, we have been able to ‘knock-out’ the gene that is irresponsible for beginning the immediate and overwhelming rejection process that happens in transplants between species," says Julia Greenstein, CEO and President of Immerge BioTherapeutics.

Immediately after the transplant, the monkeys achieved normal glucose levels and no longer required insulin injections. They were treated with an immunosuppressive cocktail and didn’t require injections for up to 70 days.

"This data is very significant because while we have been able to reverse diabetes in past islet studies, we had only seen two to three week survival times before the graft was lost due to the overwhelming rejection response," says Bernhard Hering of the Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation at the University of Minnesota.

In addition, there was no evidence of antibody-mediated rejection, which is common in transplantations involving solid organs such as kidneys and hearts.

And Greenstein says that research by Immerge BioTherapeutics has found that cells from the modified pigs are also unable to spread pig retroviruses to human cells in culture.

The findings could benefit a small subset of diabetics, known as "brittle" diabetics, who suffer from a condition that is defined by the overreaction of blood glucose levels from minute changes in diet, exercise and insulin. Researchers are also now looking at the potential of both islet and sold organ xenotransplants from the modified pigs.

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