Allogeneic Islet Transplantation: Chronicle of a Death Foretold?

Innovative solutions have entered the routine management of patients with type 1 diabetes or are making the headlines and this is shaking the world of beta cell replacement therapies. Above all, allogeneic islet transplantation is enthusiastically doomed to extinction by the aficionados of “closed l...

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Main Authors: Thierry Berney, Olivier Thaunat, Ekaterine Berishvili
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Transplant International
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/ti.2025.14598/full
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author Thierry Berney
Thierry Berney
Thierry Berney
Olivier Thaunat
Olivier Thaunat
Olivier Thaunat
Ekaterine Berishvili
Ekaterine Berishvili
Ekaterine Berishvili
Ekaterine Berishvili
author_facet Thierry Berney
Thierry Berney
Thierry Berney
Olivier Thaunat
Olivier Thaunat
Olivier Thaunat
Ekaterine Berishvili
Ekaterine Berishvili
Ekaterine Berishvili
Ekaterine Berishvili
author_sort Thierry Berney
collection DOAJ
description Innovative solutions have entered the routine management of patients with type 1 diabetes or are making the headlines and this is shaking the world of beta cell replacement therapies. Above all, allogeneic islet transplantation is enthusiastically doomed to extinction by the aficionados of “closed loop” artificial insulin delivery systems or those convinced of the imminent large scale availability of stem-cell derived insulin-producing tissues. This opinion paper will propose that neither will be a universal solution in the very near future and will argue that xenogeneic islet transplantation may be a serious outsider in the race for new therapies. In the meantime, the odds are in favor of allogeneic islet (and pancreas) transplantation remaining first line options in the treatment of complicated type 1 diabetes. There is no question that “closed loop” systems have already greatly improved the management of type 1 diabetes, but, while “unlimited” sources of insulin-producing cells are jockeying for approval as standard-of-care, these improvements are more likely to drive a shift of indications -from islet transplant alone to simultaneous islet-kidney transplantation- than to herald the demise of islet transplantation.
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spelling doaj-art-1b154c79010d4662a31541b28a02c8a02025-08-20T01:54:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Transplant International1432-22772025-04-013810.3389/ti.2025.1459814598Allogeneic Islet Transplantation: Chronicle of a Death Foretold?Thierry Berney0Thierry Berney1Thierry Berney2Olivier Thaunat3Olivier Thaunat4Olivier Thaunat5Ekaterine Berishvili6Ekaterine Berishvili7Ekaterine Berishvili8Ekaterine Berishvili9Department of Transplantation, Nephrology and Clinical Immunology, Edouard Herriot Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, FranceFaculty Diabetes Center, University of Geneva Medical Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandInstitute of Medical and Public Health Research, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, GeorgiaDepartment of Transplantation, Nephrology and Clinical Immunology, Edouard Herriot Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, FranceCentre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, INSERM U1111, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, CNRS UMR5308, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, University Lyon, Lyon, FranceLyon-Est Faculty of Medicine, Claude Bernard University (Lyon 1), Villeurbanne, FranceFaculty Diabetes Center, University of Geneva Medical Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandInstitute of Medical and Public Health Research, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, GeorgiaDepartment of Surgery, Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Organ Regeneration, University of Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandDepartment of Surgery, Cell Isolation and Transplantation Center, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandInnovative solutions have entered the routine management of patients with type 1 diabetes or are making the headlines and this is shaking the world of beta cell replacement therapies. Above all, allogeneic islet transplantation is enthusiastically doomed to extinction by the aficionados of “closed loop” artificial insulin delivery systems or those convinced of the imminent large scale availability of stem-cell derived insulin-producing tissues. This opinion paper will propose that neither will be a universal solution in the very near future and will argue that xenogeneic islet transplantation may be a serious outsider in the race for new therapies. In the meantime, the odds are in favor of allogeneic islet (and pancreas) transplantation remaining first line options in the treatment of complicated type 1 diabetes. There is no question that “closed loop” systems have already greatly improved the management of type 1 diabetes, but, while “unlimited” sources of insulin-producing cells are jockeying for approval as standard-of-care, these improvements are more likely to drive a shift of indications -from islet transplant alone to simultaneous islet-kidney transplantation- than to herald the demise of islet transplantation.https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/ti.2025.14598/fullislet transplantationbioengineeringstem cellsxenotransplantationartificial insulin delivery systems
spellingShingle Thierry Berney
Thierry Berney
Thierry Berney
Olivier Thaunat
Olivier Thaunat
Olivier Thaunat
Ekaterine Berishvili
Ekaterine Berishvili
Ekaterine Berishvili
Ekaterine Berishvili
Allogeneic Islet Transplantation: Chronicle of a Death Foretold?
Transplant International
islet transplantation
bioengineering
stem cells
xenotransplantation
artificial insulin delivery systems
title Allogeneic Islet Transplantation: Chronicle of a Death Foretold?
title_full Allogeneic Islet Transplantation: Chronicle of a Death Foretold?
title_fullStr Allogeneic Islet Transplantation: Chronicle of a Death Foretold?
title_full_unstemmed Allogeneic Islet Transplantation: Chronicle of a Death Foretold?
title_short Allogeneic Islet Transplantation: Chronicle of a Death Foretold?
title_sort allogeneic islet transplantation chronicle of a death foretold
topic islet transplantation
bioengineering
stem cells
xenotransplantation
artificial insulin delivery systems
url https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/ti.2025.14598/full
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