Technique Improves Diabetes Treatment

A new preservation technique could expand the pool of available donor A new technique to preserve the pancreas during transplants once it is removed from a donor may also improve the effectiveness of an experimental procedure that uses cells from the organ to treat diabetes, according to research presented Monday at the American Transplant Congress.

The work is important because only about 1500 of the 6000 pancreases that become available through donation each year can be used for transplants, Camillo Ricordi, a physician at the University of Miami and lead investigator in the study, told United Press International.

The new preservation technique involves the use of oxygen-rich chemicals called perfluorocarbons or PFCs. Researchers believe PFCs could expand the pool of available donor pancreases and allow the organ’s insulin-producing islet cells to remain viable for transplant for longer periods of time.

Even though the procedure is still experimental and not perfected, the islet cells can be harvested from donor pancreases and transplanted into patients with type I or juvenile diabetes, researchers said. Patients with this type of diabetes do not produce enough insulin and require insulin injections to keep their blood sugar levels in check. The hope is that islet cells can be transplanted into their bodies and will take over the insulin-producing duties.

Pancreases are not considered suitable for transplant if they come from donors older than 50 years of age or more than eight hours pass before they are transplanted, criteria that prevents many of the organs from being used, Ricordi explained. His study, however, shows that the PFCs allow both of those restraints to be broken.

Ricordi’s team took pancreases from donors, all of whom were over 50, and treated the organs with PFCs. The chemicals are supersaturated with oxygen, which is what helps to maintain cell viability for transplant, Ricordi said.

Islet cells were removed and transplanted into five adult patients with severe type 1 diabetes. Four of them have not required insulin for six months, which indicates the procedure has successfully treated their diabetes — at least temporarily if not permanently, Ricordi said, noting that his team will continue monitoring the patients.

In all, the islet cells were kept out of the body for more than 20 hours, more than double the time scientists previously thought the cells could remain viable, Ricordi said. In contrast, when cells from the pancreases from the same group of donors were preserved with the traditional technique, none were found suitable for transplantation.

Ricordi noted that a number of centers, including the University of Minnesota and the University of Alberta, have embraced the technique and are now using it to preserve donor pancreases. The technique might also improve preservation of other organs and tissues, he added. The most promising research subjects are intestines and lungs, which can be difficult to preserve.

Basadonna concurred, saying that the technique might help to preserve livers and hearts. "Being able to preserve these organs for longer periods of time could benefit many people," he said.