Langerhans islet preparation in cell transplantation

Abstract Islet cell transplantation is potentially one of the best techniques for the almost perfect symptomatic treatment of Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Thanks to the considerable progress achieved in isolating and purifying human islet cells, highly encouraging results have recently been reported. However, due to the need for immunosuppression treatment, the indications are presently as limited as those for transplantation of the vascularized pancreas, namely cotransplantation. The ultimate goal of transplantation is to allow long-term function of the grafted tissues using no or transitory host immunosuppression. When compared to solid organ grafts, cellular transplants are more amenable to creative strategies to accomplish this goal. We review the current status of islet transplantation in man and then the major steps before islet transplantation and their prospects.