Pancreas Transplantation

The pancreas is an organ that makes insulin and enzymes that help the body digest and use food. A pancreas transplant is surgery to place a healthy pancreas from a donor into a person with a diseased pancreas. A common reason for this type of damage is diabetes. Pancreas transplants can enable people with type 1 diabetes to give up insulin shots. An experimental procedure called islet cell transplantation transplants only the parts of the pancreas that make insulin.

People who have transplants must take drugs to keep their body from rejecting the new pancreas for the rest of their lives. They must also have regular follow-up care.

Islet cell transplantation places cells from an organ donor into the pancreas of another person. It is used experimentally to treat type 1 diabetes. Islets are cells found in clusters throughout the pancreas. They are made up of several types of cells. The islets contain beta cells, which make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy.

In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin. A person who has type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to live. Transplanted islet cells, however, can take over the work of the destroyed cells. Once implanted, the beta cells in these islets begin to make and release insulin. Researchers hope islet transplantation will help people with type 1 diabetes live without daily insulin injections.