Clinical islet cell transplantation – recent advances

Type-1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) caused by autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta-cells essentially requires treatment with exogenous insulin therapy. Despite the education, technology and improvements in insulin formulations, patients face the ongoing life-threatening hypoglycaemia with poor quality of life as well as progressive disease leading to microand macro-vascular complications of diabetes. Islet transplantation offers an alternative therapeutic option for these patients. In this review, we discuss the recent advancements in this field tracking from the history of pancreatic islet transplantation to the present-day challenges of clinical islet cell transplantation. We summarize the cutting-edge clinical research with special reference to the results of current trials, including Clinical Islet Transplant Consortium, improvements in immunosuppressive protocols, the need for beta-cell replacement therapies, including the application of induced pluripotent stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells.