Islet grafts work

Continuous monitoring of the time when glucose levels are in the target range in patients with diabetes mellitus who have become independent of insulin for more than 10 years after transplantation of pancreatic islet cells demonstrates glycemic profiles close to normal. The results of the study by the Diabetes Research Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine were presented at the 79th scientific session of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in San Francisco. Islet cell transplantation is a successful method of long-term cell therapy for individual patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

A group of researchers observed five adult patients who had islet cells transplanted into their liver between 2002 and 2010 and who still do not need insulin. During the last experiment in the study, the subjects underwent a seven-day continuous monitoring of glucose levels in order to determine their glycemic profile. The results were compared with the currently recommended target levels for adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus with a hybrid closed system (an insulin pump with constant monitoring). In all study participants, continuous glucose monitoring demonstrated an increase in the time spent in the target range and a decrease in fluctuations in glucose levels during the day, which generally led to the prevention of hypoglycemia. Some results are presented in the table:

In addition, the time spent in the stricter range of 70-140 mg/dl was 83.1% with an average glucose value of 116 mg/dl and an average level of glycated hemoglobin HbA1c of 5.7% (ADA recommendations call the target level of HbA1c for diabetics <7%).

Thanks to continuous glucose monitoring, it became possible to assess the glycemic profile of patients and its changes. In the recipients of islet transplants, the studied parameters were close to normal for healthy people even 10 or more years after surgery. Not all patients stop needing injectable insulin after islet cell transplantation, but a significant majority, even 10 years after transplantation, retain almost normal glucose metabolism without hypoglycemia at low doses of insulin.

The authors hope that the data obtained will help achieve FDA approval of insulin-producing cell transplantation as a treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus. Currently, this technique is considered experimental.

Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Diabetes Research Institute Foundation: Islet transplant recipients with long-term insulin independence show near-normal glucose control.