Tight glycemic control by intensive insulin therapy effectively delays the onset and slows the progression of diabetic complications but is associated with frequent dose adjustments and a high incidence of hypoglycemia. Successful pancreas transplantation corrects abnormal glucose metabolism but subjects patients to morbidity and mortality associated with chronic immunosuppression. A vascularized artificial pancreas device containing pancreatic islets is designed to provide glycemic control without immunosuppression. We report here that devices seeded with porcine islets implanted into pancreatectomized severely diabetic dogs maintained a marked improvement in glycemic control with reduced exogenous insulin requirements for up to 9 months with improved glucose tolerance and a reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin levels. No immunosuppression was used. Thus, use of a vascularized artificial pancreas containing xenogeneic porcine islets could be an alternative to intensive insulin therapy and pancreatic transplantation in treating diabetic patients before the development of severe diabetic complications.
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Original Articles|
March 01 1996
Treatment of Diabetes by Xenogeneic Islets Without Immunosuppression: Use of a Vascularized Bioartificial Pancreas
Takashi Maki;
Takashi Maki
Division of Organ Transplantation Department of Surgery, Deaconess Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Boston
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Ichiro Otsu;
Ichiro Otsu
Division of Organ Transplantation Department of Surgery, Deaconess Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Boston
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John J O'Neil;
John J O'Neil
W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn
Lexington, Massachusetts
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Karen Dunleavy;
Karen Dunleavy
W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn
Lexington, Massachusetts
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Claudy JP Mullon;
Claudy JP Mullon
W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn
Lexington, Massachusetts
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Barry A Solomon;
Barry A Solomon
W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn
Lexington, Massachusetts
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Anthony P Monaco
Anthony P Monaco
Division of Organ Transplantation Department of Surgery, Deaconess Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Boston
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Address correspondence and reprint request to Dr. Takashi Maki, Division of Organ Transplantation, Deaconess Hospital, 1 Deaconess Rd., Boston, MA 02215.
Diabetes 1996;45(3):342–347
Article history
Received:
April 24 1995
Revision Received:
October 26 1995
Accepted:
October 26 1995
PubMed:
8593940
Citation
Takashi Maki, Ichiro Otsu, John J O'Neil, Karen Dunleavy, Claudy JP Mullon, Barry A Solomon, Anthony P Monaco; Treatment of Diabetes by Xenogeneic Islets Without Immunosuppression: Use of a Vascularized Bioartificial Pancreas. Diabetes 1 March 1996; 45 (3): 342–347. https://doi.org/10.2337/diab.45.3.342
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