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To combat Type 1 diabetes (childhood diabetes), pancreatic islet transplantation is emerging as a preferred option these days.
In the process of Pancreatic Islet transplantation, islet cells are taken from the pancreas of a deceased or living donor, and are injected into diabetic patients – and these islets begin to produce and release insulin, which lets type 1 diabetic patients live without their daily insulin injections.
However, when islets are used from a donor, the patient’s body may reject it, for which immuno-suppressant drugs are used.
Even though this process is not new and is offered in other parts of the world including USA and Europe, it has not been adopted in India yet.
To discuss this and more, an Indo-US Bilateral workshop on Pancreatic Islets is currently on in the city.
A joint initiative by Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) and University of Minnesota, the workshop aims at procuring knowledge about the concept of islets transplantation and introducing this process in India.
The first transplantation is expected to take place next week in Hyderabad.
“The scientists at University of Minnesota have pioneered the process of islets transplantation and the research wing of AIG has also achieved progress in isolating, culturing, multiplying and injecting the islet cells in simian models. To further understand this and to be able to apply it on patients here in India, Dr Nageshwara Rao from the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology initiated this workshop and joined hands with the university to be able to exchange their respective information,” explained Dr Shiva Prasad, scientist at the research lab of the institute.
The workshop is aimed at working together towards collaborating with this university to technically upgrade India.
He further said, “Pancreatic islets transplantation can let diabetics live without using insulin injections for about 3-5 years depending on the patient. However, the main problem with this process was immuno-rejection, which can be solved using theracite implantation.”
According to Dr Prasad, theracite implantation means islets are sealed in a small cell and introduced in the body of the patient. As a result of this, the body will not reject the islets. “So, islets can be extracted from donors or patients (with their consent), isolated, cultured and multiplied, in order to use them on diabetic patients, solving their problem on a long-term basis,” added Dr Prasad.
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