Establishment Of The Immune Tolerance Model And Islet Transplanation

Background and objectivesInsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease. In patient with IDDM, insulin-producing β cells within the pancreatic islets are progressively destroyed, resulting in reduced insulin production and morbidity of cardiovascular complication, e. g. coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy. Although replacement therapy with exogenous insulin has prevented the acute mortality previously associated with diabetes and prolonged the survival of patient with IDDM, it failed to eliminate chronic complications associated with the disease process. This has led to the search for new treatment strategies that may prevent or arrest the progression of diabetes mellitus as well as its complication. Numerous physiologic approaches to the replacement of pancreatic endocrine function have since been explored. Gene therapy, induction of immune tolerance and immune regulation are potentially excellent approaches for treatment of IDDM. The islet transplantation is a promising approach of gene therapy. While recent reports suggest that islet transplantation has the potential to normalize glucose levels and prevent the development of complications of IDDM, islet graft rejection remains a major obstacle to...