Porcine embryonic pancreatic tissue transplantation for diabetes

The aim of this study is to assess the effect of source tissue age on transplantation outcomes and on the immunogenicity of the transplanted tissue. The researchers implanted pancreatic tissue extracted from an embryonic day 42 (E42) pig into surgically created omentum pockets (in monkeys), or into the kidney capsule (in mice). Both direct and indirect T-cell rejection responses to the xenogeneic tissue demonstrated that E42 tissue, in comparison to E56 or later embryonic tissues, exhibits markedly little immunogenicity. In both animal models, the implanted islets secreted insulin and maintained normal blood-sugar levels for up to several months post-transplantation, after the beta cells of the host animals were destroyed.