Islet cells in reserve

A new method of cryopreservation of cells will be a breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

Scientists have developed a technology that, even after long-term storage, keeps functional the islet cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. Their transplantation cured more than 90% of laboratory animals with diabetes in two days.

The research results of American scientists represent the first protocol of cryopreservation of pancreatic islet cells (Langerhans cells), which simultaneously provides high viability and functionality suitable for clinical use. Testing of the experimental method in preclinical studies has shown promising results that could be a breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes in humans, according to the website of the University of Minnesota.

Article by Zhan et al. Pancreatic islet cryopreservation by vitrification achieves high viability, function, recovery and clinical scalability for transplantation published in the journal Nature Medicine – VM.

Islet cell transplantation is the process of transferring healthy pancreatic cells from a donor to a recipient with diabetes. After transplantation, these cells begin to produce insulin on their own, regulating the level of glucose in the blood.

One of the difficulties of such therapy is the need for multiple transplantations, and due to multiple surgical interventions, this increases the risks of side effects. The solution to the problem is to combine a large amount of biomaterial from several donors, but the storage of such a "cocktail" of cells is very limited — from 48 to 72 hours.

A new protocol for cryopreservation of pancreatic islet cells solves this problem by providing long-term high-quality storage. In experiments with cell cultures, scientists have found that the method preserves 90% of mouse cells and about 87% of human and pig cells functional.

Further experiments demonstrated the therapeutic potential of the technology. Cell transplantation to mice within 24-48 hours cured 92% of rodents with diabetes.

The results prove the possibility of efficient pooling and storage of cells from multiple donors. Due to the potentially unlimited shelf life of cells in the future, the technology will provide treatment to a large number of patients around the world.

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