Progress in islet xenotransplantation: Immunologic barriers, advances in gene editing, and tolerance induction strategies for xenogeneic islets in pig-to-primate transplantation.

ABSTRACT: Islet transplantation has emerged as a curative therapy for diabetes in select patients but remains rare due to shortage of suitable donor pancreases. Islet transplantation using porcine islets has long been proposed as a solution to this organ shortage. There have already been several small clinical trials using porcine islets in humans, but results have been mixed and further trials limited by calls for more rigorous pre-clinical data. Recent progress in heart and kidney xenograft transplant, including three studies of pig-to-human xenograft transplant, have recaptured popular imagination and renewed interest in clinical islet xenotransplantation. This review outlines immunologic barriers to islet transplantation, summarizes current strategies to overcome these barriers with a particular

SUBMITTER: Eisenson DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10883655 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature