A procedure that is not without controversy, and is banned in many countries, is about to go on trial in New Zealand. The New Zealand biotechnology company, Living Cell Technologies (LCT), announced last month that it had gained approval from the New Zealand government to begin clinical trials of its DiabeCell treatment for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes.
DiabeCells are pig cells that produce insulin and when they are implanted in the human abdomen, they have been shown to lead to near-normal blood glucose levels, thus reducing or eliminating the need for insulin injections. Immune system rejections of these cells are greatly reduced since the transplanted cells are completely encapsulated and hidden from the immune system. In a trial that has already taken place in Russia, two patients out of seven that have received DiabeCell treatments are no longer required to receive daily insulin injections.
Professor John Dwyer, Clinical Immunologist and Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales, said, “The safe transplantation of insulin producing cells would offer us by far the best technique for controlling diabetes in millions of sufferers globally. These clinical trials are essential as there is no other way of studying the potential benefits except by transplanting these cells into humans.
He added, “This technique has enormous potential to reduce suffering and the enormous costs involved in treating diabetes and its many complications. The approval of this trial in New Zealand will hopefully lead to a reconsideration of the current moratorium on xenotransplantation in Australia.
Clinical Director and Diabetes Physician, Dr John Baker, will oversee the trial will take place at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland.
Source: Australian Life Scientist
Tags: DiabeCell, Diabetes, Xenotransplantation
