Improvement of Technique for Pancreatic Islet Cell Isolation and Insulin Producing Cells, and Storage for Transplantation

Dear Colleagues,

Islet cells in the pancreas are endocrine organs that secrete insulin, which is important for blood sugar control. When islet cells are destroyed by viruses, immune disease or surgery, they cannot produce insulin, leading to severe insulin-dependent diabetes. Metabolic disorders can cause type 2 diabetes due to the loss of balance between diet and exercise. If type 2 diabetes leads to a chronic disability, patients will eventually need treatment with insulin injections outside the body, such as treatment for type 1 or other type of insulin dependent diabetes. Islet transplantation is the most fundamental clinical treatment for diabetes. However, the quality of islet cells required for transplantation is always an important issue. In order to solve this problem, in-depth research is needed on the method to isolate islet cells in good condition, with high yield from the whole pancreas of a cadaver or partial pancreas of pancreatic surgery patients. In addition, the method of freezing and storage of isolated islet cells and thawing them without functional damage after long-term storage will have high value for clinical application. In addition, research on stem cell-based therapy using autologous-induced pluripotent stem cells-derived insulin-producing cells to treat diabetes is being actively conducted by many researchers. This range of studies are of great help in islet cell-based diabetes treatment research and clinical development, so continuous and active research should be conducted.

Dr. Song Cheol Kim
Guest Editor

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