autologous pancreatic islet cells

Autologous pancreatic islet cells are a cellular therapy used to prevent or mitigate the development of diabetes mellitus in patients undergoing total pancreatectomy, most commonly due to intractable chronic pancreatitis or hereditary pancreatitis. The therapy involves the isolation of the patient's own islets of Langerhans from the surgically removed pancreas using enzymatic digestion (typically with collagenase) and mechanical dissociation. These isolated islets are then purified and re-infused into the patient's portal vein, where they migrate to the liver, engraft within the hepatic sinusoids, and function as an ectopic endocrine organ. By producing insulin, glucagon, and other pancreatic hormones, the autologous islets help maintain glucose homeostasis, thereby avoiding the brittle diabetes that typically follows the complete removal of the pancreas. This procedure, known as Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Autotransplantation (TPIAT), is primarily performed at specialized academic medical centers and is regulated as a biologic cell therapy.

Other names

autologous islet cellsautologous islet cell transplantislet autograftautologous islets