What are islet cells?

After the patient is given light sedation, the surgeon begins by using an ultrasound to guide the placement of a small plastic tube, known as a catheter, through the upper abdomen into the liver. The...

Innovations in islet cell transplants, a procedure that involves transplanting a culture of the insulin-producing islet cells of a healthy pancreas to a patient with type I diabetes.

Pancreatic islet cell transplantation involves taking the cells that produce insulin from a second source such as a donor pancreas and transplanting them into a patient.

Surgery is the only curative method for islet cell cancers, and studies have shown that an aggressive surgical approach can improve survival and alleviate symptoms of the disease.

Once transplanted, the new islet cells make and release insulin. Islet cell transplantation is primarily a treatment method for type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, but it can also be used to treat patients...