Where do islets come from?
Islets (Islets of Langerhans) transplanted into people with diabetes come from the pancreas of a deceased organ donor. A number of critical steps must be taken in a timely fashion to complete an islet transplant. First, the donor pancreas is recovered by a highly skilled group of physicians. The University of Minnesota has a dedicated team on call to procure pancreases. Immediately after recovery, the pancreas is preserved using the two-layer pancreas preservation method – this recently developed method has been found to increase to yield and viability of islet cells. Third, the pancreas is brought to a facility dedicated to the manufacture of biological products such as human islets in compliance with the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices. The University of Minnesota operates a 45,000 square foot facility called the Minnesota Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics (MMCT) Facility, which isolates islets from the pancreas. The MMCT Facility is one of only ten Islet Cell Resource C
