The University of Michigan is initiating an islet cell transplantation program to treat adult patients with type 1 diabetes who meet selection criteria. This multidisciplinary program will be the joint efforts of the Departments of Surgery, Medicine, Pathology, and Radiology. The program will combine clinical islet cell transplantation, clinical and laboratory research, and education. The program will be modeled after the successful islet transplantation programs at the University of Alberta, Canada, and the University of Minnesota.

In islet transplantation, no operation is necessary, so the procedure is safer than if the whole pancreas were to be transplanted. The islet cells are infused into the patient's liver via a minimally invasive procedure in the radiology department. The procedure lasts only about an hour. Recipients are walking and eating the same day after the procedure, and only remain in the hospital a few days for monitoring the function of the islets.

As long as the islets remain functional, patients who receive islet transplantation will not need to take insulin and will have normal blood sugar levels. Recipients of transplanted islet cells still require medications to prevent rejection of the islet cells. Islet transplantation is also believed to be able to help slow or prevent the development of many complications of diabetes over time.

At the present time, islet cell transplantation is still classified as experimental in nature by the United States Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies. As a result, islet cell transplantation is currently only available to those adults willing to take part in a research study.