Transplanted Tissue Forms New Pancreas in Diabetic Rats

Louis, MO, USA) removed the early pancreas from developing rat embryos less than one day after the organ began to form and transplanted the tissue into mature rats with type I diabetes. They reported in the September-October 2003 issue of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs Journal that two weeks after transplantation, the embryonic tissue had grown and begun making insulin. Within five weeks, the transplanted tissue produced enough insulin to maintain normal blood-sugar levels in the diabetic animals.

"The transplanted tissue developed into a totally novel organ,” explained senior author Professor Marc R. Hammerman, director of the renal division of Washington University School of Medicine. "It is a pancreas that produces insulin but lacks the components that secrete digestive enzymes. Embryonic pancreas has been transplanted before, but never in quite this way,” said Professor Hammerman. "Our method seems very promising.”





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Washington University School of Medicine