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First Type 1 Diabetes Patient in Europe is Free from Insulin Therapy after Undergoing BioHub Transplant Technique


In this latest procedure, as was done in Miami, the donor islets were implanted within a biodegradable scaffold, one of the platforms for a DRI BioHub, made by combining the patient's own blood plasma with thrombin, a commonly used, clinical-grade enzyme. Together, these substances create a gel-like material that sticks to the omentum and holds the islets in place. The omentum is then folded over around the biodegradable (biological) scaffold mixture. Over time, the body will absorb the gel, leaving the islets intact, while new blood vessels are formed to provide critical oxygen and other nutrients that support the cells' survival. 

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http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-type-1-diabetes-patient-in-europe-is-free-from-insulin-therapy-after-undergoing-diabetes-research-institutes-biohub-transplant-technique-300282581.html#continue-jump

Stashed in: Diabetes, Diabetes

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Do they think this solution will work for a lot of people?

Ten+ years and counting...

"In type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing islets cells of the pancreas have been mistakenly destroyed by the immune system, requiring patients to manage their blood sugar levels through a daily regimen of insulin therapy. Islet transplantation has allowed some patients to live without the need for insulin injections after receiving a transplant of donor cells. Some patients who have received islet transplants at the DRI have been insulin independent for more than a decade, as DRI researchers have published. 

Currently, islet cells are infused into the liver, but many of the cells do not survive in that environment. Most importantly, the reason for developing this alternative site is that the BioHub technology will eventually allow for the introduction of additional technologies and components to eliminate the need for anti-rejection drugs. This FDA-approved Phase I/II BioHub clinical trial is testing the omentum as an alternative transplant site.”

Sounds legit, Marlene. Wow!

I wonder what the criteria is to be a donor. 

I wonder, too.

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