How many people donate their pancreases to be used for islet cell transplantation?
The most promising treatment for diabetes today is islet cell transplantation. With only a third of the 6,000 annual pancreatic organ donors being suitable for pancreas donation and up to three donors needed for each transplant, the ability to make this treatment available to individuals with diabetes is severely limited. This project seeks to develop an unlimited, artificial source of pancreatic islet cells to be used for thousands of transplants and strongly encourages individuals to become organ donors.
