In 1994, the University of Minnesota capitalized upon its historic strengths in pancreas transplantation by establishing a diabetes institute to pursue a cure for diabetes. Today, Schulze Diabetes Institute at University of Minnesota is one of the leading centers in the world perfecting the use of donated islets of Langerhans (found in the pancreas) for transplantation. Bernhard Hering, M.D., heads Institute's Islet Transplant Program. He is widely regarded as the world's foremost expert on islet transplantation.

Approximately one million people in the United States have type 1 diabetes. About 30 to 50 percent of them will have some type of complication of diabetes during their lifetime. These can include eye, nerve, and kidney disease. A person's risk for these complications increases over time as exposure to high blood gluocose (sugar) levels increases. Currently, the only way to restore normal blood glucose levels in people with type 1 diabetes (without the risk of low blood sugar) is to replace the their islets.  Only a pancreas transplant or an allo-islet transplant (islets from a donor) can replace the islets.

Islet Transplant
Insulin therapy, whether by injection or insulin pump, is life-saving, however, insulin therapy is not perfect. Most people with type 1 diabetes still have blood glucose levels that are above normal, putting them at risk for long-term complications of diabetes. Patients able to keep their blood glucose levels near normal often have trouble with low blood glucose (hypoglycemia). After a number of years with type 1 diabetes some people lose the early symptoms such as sweating, dizziness, extreme hunger that warn them that their blood glucose level is at a low level. The inability to sense a low blood glucose is called hypoglycemia unawareness and raises the risk of severe hypoglycemia. Severe hypoglycemia is defined as needing help from someone else to raise the blood glucose such as giving juice, soda pop, or glucagon. The possible advantage of islet transplantation over giving insulin via injections or pump is that the transplanted islets would maintain normal blood sugar under all conditions, and would not produce excess insulin resulting in hypoglycemia.

The purpose of an islet transplant is safe and effective treatment of Type 1 diabetes. Although islet transplants have been performed in clinical trials for years they are not yet considered standard medical care. What is exciting is that the outcomes of islet transplant clinical trials have significantly improved over the years. Continuing clinical trials are needed to further improve the success rate of islet transplantation. 

For some patients, islet transplant can restore the role of the pancreas. Unlike a pancreas transplant, islet transplant does not require major surgery.  The islet transplant procedure requires only a local anesthetic and takes about 60 minutes. The islets are injected into the liver where they secrete insulin directly into the circulatory system to control blood sugars. 

For more information about the islet transplant clinical study visit the Schulze Diabetes Institute Web site.