Pig islets for clinical islet xenotransplantation.
OBJECTIVE
Allogeneic islet transplantation faces difficulties because organ shortage is recurrent; several pancreas donors are often needed to treat one diabetic recipient; and the intrahepatic site of islet implantation may not be the most appropriate one. Another source of insulin-producing cells, therefore, would be of major interest, and pigs represent a possible and serious source for obtaining such cells.


RESULTS
Pig islet grafts may appear difficult because of the species barrier, but recent studies demonstrate that pig islets may function in diabetic primates for at least 6 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Pig islet xenotransplantation, however, must still overcome the selection of a suitable pig donor to translate preclinical findings into clinical applications. This review summarizes the actual acquired knowledge of pig islet transplantation in primates to select the 'ideal' pig donor.
Dufrane
Denis
D
Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, Université Catholique de Louvain, Faculté de Médecine, Brussels, Belgium.
Gianello
Pierre
P
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000379:methods*; D023421:Models, Animal; D011323:Primates; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance / Q000235:genetics; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous