title: [Use of islet cells in cell therapy].
abstract: Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is a common disease affecting 1.5 million patients in Europe. It is currently treated by multiple injections of insulin associated with blood glucose self monitoring. The goal of the treatment is to obtain near normal glucose concentration, in order to prevent the later complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, macroangiopathy) of the disease--which may be severe--while avoiding severe hypoglycaemia. Although diabetes therapy has improved enormously in the last few decades, intensive research is currently aimed at replacing not only the missing hormone but also the cells which normally produce insulin in the pancreas. Transplantation of insulin secreting cells as a treatment of diabetes mellitus therefore has a special significance among other applications of cell therapy, since it deals with a disease which already has an efficient therapy. The aim of this article is the discussion of the objectives and the hopes in this field.
authors.affiliation: Inserm U341, service de diabétologie, Hôtel-Dieu, Paris, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reach
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Darquy
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Poitout
mesh_terms: D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000628:therapy*; D015194:Diffusion Chambers, Culture; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019397:Pancreas, Artificial
vernacular_title: Utilisation des cellules des îlots de langerhans en thérapie cellulaire.