Author: Bolysbek Dana
Editor: Merentsova Anastasia
Type I diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disease in which a person's antibodies contribute to the destruction of the cells of his own pancreas. As a result, insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels, is not produced in sufficient quantities. Therefore, type 1 diabetes requires regular injection of insulin into the body. However, injections do not provide the same control of glucose levels in the body as the pancreas, and as a result, scientists are looking for the most effective ways to treat type 1 diabetes.
Scientists have previously attempted to transplant pancreatic islet cells into the liver of animals. Other researchers have tried to transplant islet cells under the subjects' skin, as this is a more accessible place for correction if something goes wrong during the study. Unfortunately, these attempts have been unsuccessful. In the first case, the cells died after some time and caused inflammation. In the second experiment, the cells did not survive either, but due to a lack of oxygen.
In a new study, the authors of the work found a way to solve the above problem: to make the islet cells live longer after transplantation under the skin, the researchers first placed them in a matrix based on collagen. This approach helped protect cells and also initiated a process that promotes normal cell oxygenation. Researchers tested this technique by transplanting islet cells from mice, pigs, and humans to 100 experimental mice with their pancreas removed. The procedure allowed the mice to survive without injections for up to 100 days.
Despite the rather good results of the study, scientists note that additional work is required to validate the method, which will take a lot of time.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-transplanting-pancreatic-islet-cells-skin.html
