Pancreatic islet cell replacement and transplantation

This project began in 2008 and is ongoing.

The overall Project aim is to develop nano-engineered pancreatic islets to investigate adverse immune reactions and develop immune-shielded islets suitable for transplantation into non-systemically immune-suppressed diabetic patients.

Ongoing collaborative research projects include:

• tissue engineering of insulin-producing beta-cells to maximise secretory function and long-term viability;
• in vitro testing of the response of tissue engineered islets to prolonged periods of hypoxia using a novel micro-gravity culture system;
• production of chimeric islets resistant to immune-mediated attack – EU Seventh FP Collaborative project (NEXT)

The project worked on the isolation and functional characterisation of pancreatic beta and surrogate insulin-producing cells and provided the basic research underpinning the establishment of the UK Islet Transplant Consortium. The Consortium, chaired by Professor James Shaw (Newcastle), prepared a successful bid to the National Commissioning Group for NHS funding and NICE approval of an integrated UK NHS Islet Transplant Programme.

The Programme, launched nationally in 2008, is the world's first government-funded islet transplant service dedicated to patients with type 1 diabetes. This programme saw the establishment of six transplant centres which provide a cost-effective national program for islet transplantation. These centres were commissioned to deliver a cure for recurrent life-threatening hypoglycaemia.

Islet transplants have been successfully performed on 65 patients between April 2008 and March 2013, with a reduction in severe hypoglycaemic events (>95 per cent) and improved glycaemic control.