The successful transplantation of islet cells in a Type 1 diabetes patient at King's College Hospital in London is being hailed as a medical breakthrough that has major implications for diabetes sufferers and cell research.Islet cells are found in the pancreas and produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes often starts in childhood and has been considered irreversible. It occurs as a result of the islet cells being destroyed. Usually, the destruction of these cells is the result of an autoimmune process in which the body fails to recognize the cells as its own, resulting in total insulin deficiency. Prior to the islet cell transplant breakthrough, the only treatment for Type 1 diabetes was insulin injections. An islet cell transplant has never before been achieved in the United Kingdom, according to King's College Hospital. The patient, a 61-year old man, no longer needs insulin injections following three transplants of islet cells isolated from cadaveric donor pancreases. Historically, islet transplants have been only partially successful. They have reduced the amount of insulin required, but the need for regular injections still remained. The first reports of insulin independence came recently from a program in Canada. The King's program is the first to report a comparable result for the UK. This patient has proved that it is possible for islet transplants to lead to freedom from administered insulin and diabetes-treatment associated problems, says King's.
