RNA sequencing was then carried out on over 2,200
islet cells to ascertain which genes were expressed and actively involved in cell functions.
The challenge with the device is the number of
islet cells it can accommodate successfully--only about 1,000.
And this was in patients 15 years out: Their
islet cells weren't dead, as most people said.
An
islet cell transplant may be an option for you if you have complications from type-1 diabetes or severe type-1 diabetes that can't be effectively managed with insulin.
Of the 51 patients who did receive 2,000 or more
islet cells, 37 required only intermittent insulin or none at all during long-term follow-up.
The
islet cells produce insulin which regulates sugar levels in the blood.
The
islet cells began producing insulin within minutes of entering the liver, Dr.
Richard Lane, a 61-year-old businessman from Bromley, Kent, is the first person in the UK to have a fully successful
islet cell transplantation in a patient with Type 1 diabetes.
Islet cells are found in the pancreas and produce insulin, which is needed to control blood sugar levels.
Until recently most research trying to treat Type I diabetes assumed the patient would receive a
islet cells transplant to replace those killed by the marauding white blood cells.
The hope is that these newly-made
islet cells will be just as responsive to glucose levels as normal
islet cells.
In Type 1 diabetics, the bone marrow allows bad immune cells that attack the insulin-secreting
islet cells into the bloodstream.
